Hagane No Kokoro
by Songbird15
Summary: 3 years after the movie, the brothers finally return home, only to find that a new danger threatens their world. Now Ed, Al, Winry, Noah, and two new friends are starting out on another adventure. May contain EdWin fluff, hotsprings, cats & crossovers.
1. Homecoming

Hagane No Kokoro

Full Metal Hearts

Robin "Dreamseeker" Smith

Disclaimer/author's note - All Full Metal Alchemist characters belong to Hiromu Arakawa, and Maria is based on a real person (because I'm crazy like that). This fic will also contain characters from another story, but I'll put in their disclaimer when they show up. The only thing I own is this plot. Also, this contains spoilers for the end of FMA and the movie, Conquerers of Shambala. Consider yourself warned.

Chapter I - March 3, 1926, Austria

On a patch of green clover beside an old lone tree amongst the rolling hills of Vienna, Austria, under the westering sun, lay a young man. He wore black slacks, a white linen shirt, gray gloves and black boots. A brown coat lay discarded beside him. His legs were straight, his arms stretched to either side of him, and his long, blond hair spread loosely over the grass, flickering in the chill breeze. Beautiful, golden eyes gazed sleepily up at the clouds that passed overhead, and the sound of music touched his ears. He had heard singing while passing through this place before, but that had all been from the nearby convent. This was the voice of a single woman, and sounded closer than the abbey he had seen only from a distance. He might have drifted off to sleep then. It had been a long day, he was exhausted, and this place felt so peaceful, but the singing was growing distinctly louder. The man - not much more than a boy, really - sat up suddenly, earning a startled gasp in place of the music as the singer realized that she was not alone.

"Oh! Excuse me! I didn't see you!" The flustered woman backed up and was about to turn around and make a hasty retreat, but the man's voice stopped her.

"Wait, it's all right. I was enjoying your singing." He looked her over more carefully, noting that she was not much older than him, but that she was dressed in the same black and white outfit that the little figures he had seen in the abbey wore. "Are you a nun?"

"Y-yes. My name is Maria..." She still looked nervous, like a child caught disobeying her parents.

"I'm Edward," he told her, smiling amiably. "Edward Elric. It's nice to meet you, Maria. You know, you remind me of someone I used to know," he mused.

"Really? What was her name?"

"Rose. She was nun, like you. That's probably why." Slowly this time, so as not to startle her, he stood up and brushed himself off, then retrieved his coat and did the same to it. "Well, I should probably head home, or I'm liable to fall asleep and freeze during the night." He grinned to show he wasn't serious... not completely, anyway. "Take care, Maria," and he pulled on his coat and walked past her, waving his left hand goodbye without looking back.

The young woman named Maria watched his shrinking figure for a long time before returning to her own home in the abbey. She would never see Edward Elric again, and neither of them would make any difference in the story of the other, but it would be along time before she forgot the strange young man she had met in the hills, though as time passed, she would wonder if he had been real at all, or if Edward Elric was nothing more than a dream...

-

Al's concentration was broken by the creak of the front door opening and closing, followed by the approach of slightly uneven - and therefore unmistakable - footsteps. The young man looked up from his work expectantly until the form of his older brother appeared around the corner and stopped there, leaning back against the door frame, arms crossed and right knee bent. His long hair was mussed and he looked tired.

"Are you all right, Brother?" asked Al. In truth, he was just as tired, but lately Alphonse Elric seemed to be much more resilient than his sibling. That's what Noah had said, anyway.

"Yeah, I just need a break. What about you? Any luck?"

At that, Al grinned. "See for yourself." The room was mostly empty, save are desk covered in books and loose sheets of paper in one back corner, and a variety of differently sized stones in the other. Al, however, was pointing at the previously empty corner the the left of the entrance. Edward followed his gesture and visibly perked up at the sight of a pile of small objects. Curious, he stepped across the room for a closer looked. There were really only four things there: four little stone sculptures of a horse, a dog, a cat, and - to Ed's mild amusement - a familiar suite of armor. They were very simple and stylized, and there form rough as if they'd been made by a young child, but there very existence was enough to please Ed. He smiled, knowing that that alone would encourage his younger brother. Al tended to act like a loyal dog when it came to his brother - always ready to please. Ed sometimes wondered if Al relied on him a bit too much. If anything should happen to Ed...

He stopped that thought before it had a chance to finish. No, he would never leave his brother again, no matter what. He refused to even consider it. "This is great, Al. I know it's nothing like what we could do in the other world, but the fact that you can use alchemy at all in this world is a miracle."

Al beamed at the compliment and came over from the center of the room, crouching down to pick up the horse and examine it thoughtfully. "Brother... do you think we could do better if we worked together?"

"Probably," Ed paused to brush a lock of blond hair out of his face, ""but let's wait until tomorrow to try it. I'm really exhausted, and I bet you are too."

Al looked disappointed, but concerned at the same time. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I'll go make us some dinner and then we can sleep. It will work better when we're both rested, anyway."

Ed's stomach growled at the mention of food, and he eagerly accompanied Al to their small kitchen.

They had bought this house with money left by their father. It was little more than a cottage in a secluded place in Vienna, close enough to the border that they could cross it if the situation in Germany got too dangerous. Three years had passed since the incident with the Thule Organization. Ed was twenty years old now, and Al nineteen. They both looked a little younger than their true ages, though - Ed because he was short, and Al because his soul had been sealed inside a suite of armor for four years, and when he did regain his original body, it still looked the same age it had been when he lost it. Since they had been stuck in this world, the brothers had been surviving however they could, traveling with Noah and the other gypsies at first, then settling down when they found this cottage and decided to attempt to develop their alchemy in this world. Ed worked as a jack of all trades in the nearby town, earning money to substitute the slim remainders of their inheritance. Outwardly, the brothers had become resigned to living in this world, but although they never mentioned it, neither of them felt satisfied with their situation. There was a constant sense of waiting, as if they knew deep inside that this would not last for the rest of their lives, as if things would change drastically once again, and this was just a sort of limbo where they existed until that change came. It was frustrating, but by now the Elric brothers were used to that feeling. There was really no particular reason why they had decided to work on their alchemy here. It was just something to do in their spare time, and being able to use alchemy in this world could certainly prove useful, as long as they kept it secret.

As usual, these were the thoughts that drifted through Edwards mind as he lay in his small bed that night. He was soon asleep, though, and did not even hear it when Al came in and went to his own cot, curling up under the old red coat with the Flamel's Cross symbol on the back that he now used as a blanket.

-

"Hey Al, ready to try that experiment you mentioned last night?" Ed asked after they had eaten breakfast.

"Yeah!" Al cheered excitedly, bouncing out of the kitchen to what they called their workroom, where Al had been practicing alchemy the other night.

Ed shook his head at his brother's energy, but followed closely, his auto-mail clacking on the wooden floor each time he put his left foot down. He was still using the same arm and leg that Winry had given him on his last brief visit to the other world. It was old and a little bashed up, but he had managed to keep it from breaking over those three years. It was still better than what he could put together with materials from this world.

Ed dusted off the transmutation circle on the floor while Al struggled to drag a large rock - or small boulder - to the center of the circle from the collection of them that he had gathered for just this purpose. Even though neither of the brothers needed a transmutation circle to perform alchemy, they had found that using it combined with the technique they had learned from the gate lended more strength to their alchemy, and in this world they needed all the strength they could get.

"What should we make?" asked Al.

"A horse. We've done them so many times before that it should be easier. Let's just see how well-shaped and detailed we can get it by working together."

The two brothers nodded at each other, then faced the rock and, in perfect unison, clapped their hands together and then placed them on the rock's surface. The circle beneath their feet glowed with a blue light, and the boulder began to stretch and change shape. Then there was a flash, and for one instant, Edward saw a vision of the Gate standing before him, wide open. Then he was in the workroom again, lying flat on his back with Al hovering worriedly over him.

"Brother! Are you hurt!"

Ed groaned and pushed himself into a sitting position, placing his left hand on his forehead as if he had a headache. "Did you see anything just now?"

Al was looking more and more agitated. "I thought I saw the gate just now! Did you see it, too?"

"Yeah... and it was wide open." Cautiously, he looked himself over, but there did not appear to be anything wrong with him or Al. If they really had just faced the Gate, it must not have had time to draw them in or take anything from them.

Then Edward noticed the horse, or unicorn, rather. It was perfect, standing with its neck arched nobly and one front leg lifted high. Al had given it an elegantly detailed saddle and a wreath of flowers around its neck, each leaf and petal formed perfectly from the stone. Ed had shaped its long, spiraled horn that ended in a piercing, arrowhead-shaped tip. The beast was smooth, with well-built muscles and a flowing, rippling mane and tail. It was by far the best sculpture either of them had done, even in their own world.

The brothers gaped at the statue, then at each other. Without breaking eye contact with his sibling, Ed slowly brought his hands together again, then drew his left hand over his auto-mail right, easily changing it into the familiar blade weapon he had used so often in the past, then repeating the motions once again to restore it to the original metal hand. Their eyes widened further, and Al moved to fetch another rock and try his own test, but a knock on the door froze him in place. If anyone found out about their alchemy...

Taking a deep breath, Edward forced himself to relax just enough so that - hopefully - a stranger wouldn't notice that anything was out of the ordinary. He went to the front door, not sure whether he wanted to hurry or hesitate. Al fidgeted nervously behind him, which only made things worse.

As soon as he opened the door, a delicate, dark-skinned hand grabbed Ed and pulled him out into the cold spring morning. His heart caught in his throat for a moment, but it was only Noah.

"Yikes! What's the big idea? Are you trying to give me a heart attack or something?"

"Just come with me, both of you!"

"What? Ack! Noah, let go? What's going on?"

"No time to explain, just trust me!"

"Wait a minute," Ed yanked his auto-mail hand out of hers, though he was careful not to hurt her. "It's freezing out here. Al-" but Al had already dashed into their bedroom and returned, pulling on his brown coat. Instead of the other plain brown jacket that Ed had acquired in this world, Al handed him the old red coat they had both worn at one point or another. As Ed slipped it on, a slow smile spread over his features. He dug around in a pocket for his old gloves and pulled them on as well, flexing his auto-mail fingers and grinning outright. "Alright Noah, Alphonse... let's go."

The Full Metal Alchemist was back.

-

Instead of heading for the town, Noah led them away from it, going deeper into the foothills. The brothers had seen this place before. In fact, the gypsy was leading them straight towards a small but deep stone cave. Ed and Al had memorized its location in case they ever needed a place to hide, for whatever reason. It did not surprise them that Noah also knew of it, though, considering that she had been the one to find it in the first place, just after they had moved into the cottage.

Sure enough, she paused at the entrance to the cave and pointed inside. Edward took the lead then, stepping into the darkness. It was eerily quiet. None of the three were bold enough to break the silence. It seemed to take longer then it should have to reach the end, but once there, Edward still had to wait for his eyes to adjust completely to the lack of light before he could see what it was that had so excited Noah.

It was a door; a wooden one placed into the stone wall at the back of the cave. Edward reached forward and placed his hand lightly on the knob, remembering what had happened last time he had opened a door like this. Noah had pulled him through that door, but what would be waiting for him behind this one?

With exaggerated slowness he turned the knob until he felt a click, then pulled the door open. At first, there was nothing. Then the doorway was filled with a blinding white-gold light, and before he could react, Ed was pulled over the threshold.

For the second time that day, Edward Elric found himself lying on his back on the ground, arms stretched out to either side of him. To his confusion, he could see nothing but bright, endless blue, and then he levered himself up and realized that he was in the middle of a green meadow under a vast blue sky. The other two were there as well. Al was still unconscious, but Noah was sitting up and looking around herself in wonder. There was no sign of the door they had passed through. In fact, there was nothing man-made in sight. The meadow was bordered on two sides by trees full of birds and new Spring buds, and on a third by a coursing stream that reflected the perfect blue of the sky. Bird song and the soft sound of the wind filled the air, completing the picture of perfect peace.

Ed moved to his brother's side and shook him gently. "Hey Al, wake up," he murmured, golden eyes showing concern even though his brother looked perfectly healthy.

Al stirred, then opened his own copper eyes, blinking up at Edward. "What happened?"

"Hell if i know." Ed helped his brother up and then walked over to Noah. "You alright?"

She nodded and accepted the hand he held out to her, still looking bewildered as he pulled her to her feet. "Where are we?"

"I'm not sure, but -"

Al tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. When Ed face him, he saw astonishment and joy on Al's face. "Brother, don't you recognize this place?"

Edward scanned over his surroundings again. His eyes were narrowed in concentration at first, but then they snapped wide open. "This place... This is..."

Al nodded. "This is the stream outside of Rizenbool. Brother... We're home."

-

Winry Rockbell sat on the balcony, sipping tea from a cup she held and gazing out in the direction of the stream. She was thinking about the brothers again. They used to play in that stream when they were children, the three of them. Winry had thought that she would be over them after three years, but it was not so easy to forget the two people she cared about most, other than her grandmother, of course.

A flash of red emerging from the trees caught her attention, and for several moments she thought she was dreaming. It would not have been the first time she dreamed of their return. But the figure in red did not vanish, and was accompanied by another familiar figure, and one who was totally unfamiliar.

Winry leaped out of her chair, dropping her teacup without even noticing, and grasped the rail of the balcony, leaning out over it and staring until she was positive that the three approaching figures were not illusions. With a strangled cry, she whirled around and raced inside, taking the stairs three at a time and nearly falling on her face at the bottom. She caught herself on the wall and pushed off, bolting out the door and running for all she was worth towards the brothers. They had seen her, and were calling her name and waving their arms joyfully. Then, caught up in her excitement they started running side-by-side to meet her.

Winry had just enough sense at that point to slow down as she neared them so that, when she literally crashed into Edward and threw her arms around him, he was able to keep from falling over backwards by spinning her around once and then setting her down. Al laughed and patted Winry on the shoulder, causing her to turn around and hug him too.

"Ed! Al!" She was so excited that she had difficulty getting the words out. Finally, she shouted, "where have you been!"

Ed laughed and scratched the back of his head. "It's great to see you too, Winry, but where we've been is a very long story." His smile lessened, but did not vanish. "In fact, I have no idea how we got back, to tell you the truth."

"So what? You're back!" Winry turned back to him and caught both of his hands in hers, holding them tightly and looking into his eyes until he started to blush, then she hugged him again, effectively turning his face crimson. At that point, Noah caught up.

The gypsy looked at Al's smiling face, then at the exuberant display of affection going on between Ed and Winry. At that sight, Noah hung back shyly. She was happy for Edward and Alphonse, but part of her silently protested at the sight of the handsome older brother in another woman's arms; a woman he had known long before he met Noah, no less. In the three years she had spent helping the brothers adjust to life in her world, she had acknowledged her feelings for Edward - whether they be love or infatuation - but had never confronted him about it, or even asked Alphonse for advice. There was still something otherworldly about the Elric brothers - and no wonder - that made them seem somehow untouchable. Seeing Ed with a woman from his own world drove that feeling home. She actually considered turning around and going back to the meadow in hopes of finding the door again, but Al noticed the expression on her face and flashed her a winning smile before taking her hand and leading her in closer. "Winry, when you're done squeezing my brother to death, I'd like you to meet our friend, Noah," he said cheerily.

Winry released Ed again and blushed slightly herself. "Oh. Nice to meet you, Noah." She smiled and added, "don't look at me like that. I'm not going to eat you or anything!"

Al laughed and said, "wow, Winry, I really missed you. Brother did too, as you can see."

For his part, Ed was still blushing. Before the teasing could go any further, he cleared his throat and looked to the girl he had always secretly admired, now a young woman. "Well, Winry? Are you going to take us home?"

-

As soon as Winry opened the door, Ed found himself being tackled by a large black and white dog whose left forelimb was auto-mail. "Gah! Den, you mongrel! Get down already!" he complained, trying to fend off a very wet tongue.

Laughing, Al and Winry pulled the dog off of him, and Al - who was more of an animal person that Ed - ruffled the excited dog's fur and let it lick his hands and face, keeping him distracted so that he wouldn't trample them all in his canine enthusiasm.

Grinning broadly, Winry scooted past them to get inside, calling, "Grandma Pinako, they're back! Grandma, come see! Grandma Pin -" Winry froze in the doorway to her grandmother's bedroom. Ed and Al stopped behind her in confusion, unable to see what was beyond. They did notice when Winry's shoulders began to shake, though, and a dark, sinking feeling enveloped them.

Noah was the one who moved first, gently pushing past all three of them and walking into the room. Only Winry saw the darker woman kneel before the small, fallen body of her grandmother. Slowly - almost too slowly for Winry to bear - Noah place two fingers on the old woman's neck, then looked over her shoulder, eyes filled with sorrow, and shook her head. At that confirmation, Winry gasped and flung herself around into Edward's arms again, sobbing against his chest and clinging so tightly to the fabric of his coat that her knuckles turned white. Now he and Al could finally see past her, but they had already guessed by her reaction what was wrong. By the look of it, old Grandma Pinako had suffered a dizzy spell and collapsed, hitting her head on the dresser. The fall had killed her.

Feeling tears start to burn in his own eyes, Ed closed them and wrapped his arms around his friend, head bowed over her shoulder. He held her like that while she cried until Noah had laid the old woman's body on the bed and signaled for Al to lead the two back out into the living room. Ed guided Winry down onto the sofa without taking his arms from around her. There, she curled up against his side and cried out loud.

Eventually, after standing around feeling useless for a while, Noah placed a hand on Al's shoulder briefly and then walked into the kitchen with him following. Not a word had been spoken since Winry found Pinako, and Noah didn't want to break that silence by asking Al for help, so she started some water heating and opened cabinets at random until Al got the idea and, wiping away his own tears, showed her where to find cups. Then he reached into another cabinet and came out with a box of tea in one hand and one of hot chocolate mix in the other. Noah chose the chocolate when he offered them to her, and the pair waited quietly for the water to boil.

When they returned to the living room, each carrying two mugs full of hot chocolate, neither Ed nor Winry had moved, though the latter had calmed down and was now just resting in the comfort of Edward's embrace. Al set two cups for Ed and Winry on the little coffee table in front of the sofa and his brother gave him a faint, weary smile of thanks, then returned his full attention to Winry. Al and noah each took a chair on the other side of the table and sipped their drinks meditatively.

"Winry..."

At Ed's gentle urging, Winry finally pulled away from him and dragged her arm across her eyes to erase the tears. Soft, sympathetic golden eyes met and held hers, conveying more meaning than was possible with words, then Ed took one of the mugs carefully in his auto-mail hand and urged her to take it. After a moment, Winry accepted it and took a small taste, wisps of steam curling up and fading away amongst her pale tresses. She forced the tiniest of smiles, and even though it only lasted for a second, Ed saw and returned it. "Will you be alright?"

She sniffed once and nodded before taking another sip of hot chocolate. "Thank you, Ed," she murmured, her voice sounding stuffy from all the crying.

Impulsively, he hugged her once more, briefly, and then they sat side by side, taking comfort from each other's presence.

Alphonse and Noah had excused themselves and stepped outside, though Noah didn't think Ed or Winry had noticed. She tried to talk to Al, but he was just as morose as the two inside, and she soon gave up.

She was about to suggest that Al - being Ed's brother and Winry's friend - should go back inside, but something strange captured her attention. She thought it was a shadow at first, but it moved like a skulking animal, and there was no sign of what could be casting it. Besides that, it had large, glowing yellow eyes...

"Al!" she shouted as the shadowy creature pounced, landing in front of her and lashing out with sharp claws. She dodged its attack and gave it a good, hard kick, sending it flying backwards, but it was up again in no time.

At that point, Al moved in front of her, clapping his hands together and touching the ground, coming back up with a spear made of stone. When the shadow moved in for another attack, he swung at it, knocking it to the ground, then impaled it with the tip of his alchemical weapon. To his amazement, the creature faded away into nothing as it died. like a shadow amerced in light.

Al shuddered and glanced uncertainly back at Noah, reluctant to let go of his weapon. "Noah..." Are there things like that in your world?"

She shook her head, dark eyes wide. "I take it they're not from this world, either?"

Al copied her head shake. "I think we should tell my brother about this..."


	2. Lucifer

Chapter 2

"It just disappeared?" Ed asked after his brother and Noah had related the story. When they had come in, he had just been handing an empty mug back to Winry. Apparently, he had bumped it accidentally and broken it, but it was an easy fix for an alchemist. Now, although Winry's eyes were still red from crying, she was focused on the tale Al and Noah were telling instead of the loss of her grandmother. "Winry, have you heard of anything like this before? Has anything happened while we were gone?"

"No... I would have heard about it if something like that had been seen in town."

"Edward," Noah asked, "do you think it had something to do with how you were suddenly able to come back through the Gate?"

Ed sighed and finished off the last of his now cold hot chocolate. "It would not surprise me at all. That thing didn't come from either of our worlds, but if there are two worlds connected, there may be more that we do not yet know of. I don't know what we can do about it, especially if no one else knows about this. I hate to say it, but it may be best just to wait and see how things develop."

-

The next morning, Ed found Winry sitting on the balcony again, staring off into the distance. She had been in this position so many times in the past while waiting for Ed and Al to return that it had become a habit. Wordlessly, Edward stepped up to the rail and rested his arms on it, following Winry's gaze out to the green and blue horizon. After standing quietly like that for a long moment, he asked, "how are you feeling?"

"I guess I'm okay," she mumbled without moving, not even to look at him. A gust of warm air from the south flowed pleasantly through her long, light blond hair. "I'm... I'm sorry for breaking down like that yesterday." She squeezed her eyes shut and clenched a fist. "I'm not normally that weak."

Ed looked at her seriously. "We all have to cry sometimes. I cried like that when my mother died. There's no reason to be ashamed of it."

She bowed her head and smiled sadly, but it looked more like a grimace. "You're right, Ed. Sorry."

Ed took a deep breath and pivoted around to face her, putting on a cheerful face for her sake. "Well, if you need something to keep your mind occupied, you could give my auto-mail a tune-up. It needs it."

Winry stood up then and grabbed Ed's right arm, pulling back the sleeve and quickly glancing over the scratched and battered machinery. "Sheesh! What did you _do_ to this thing!"

Ed grinned sheepishly. "Hey, it's been three years since I've seen my mechanic! You should consider it a miracle that it still works at all!"

She rolled her eyes and swatted him lightly over the head. "I guess you're right. Come on, we better get this fixed now. How's your leg?"

"If it gets much worse I'll be limping everywhere."

She let out an exasperated sigh as she dragged him inside. "I should have known. You idiot..."

Ed didn't mind the mild abuse and name-calling at all. He was just glad that he had been able to cheer her up, at least a little. He had certainly chosen the very best subject for the job, of course. Constructing auto-mail was not just Winry's job or hobby, it was her passion.

-

"Ow," Edward said casually as Winry adjusted a connection between a metal plate and his chest. He expected a rebuke for whining, but instead she mumbled an apology and slowed down her work to make it more gentle.

"Sorry," she said again, "I shouldn't have been angry with you. I'm impressed that you did keep your auto-mail in such relatively good working condition on your own."

"I had to," Ed answered sincerely, changing position as Winry moved her attention to his left leg. "I had no idea if I'd ever see you again."

She paused momentarily, keeping her eyes lowered. "I'm glad you did... I'm glad you came back, that is. I don't know what I would have done without you."

"Oh, come on," Ed argued a bit frantically, "you're stronger than that!"

Winry smiled, but still didn't meet his eyes. "You're right. But still... You are my best friends, you and Al. Now that Grandma's gone, you're the dearest friends I have."

He placed his left hand on her shoulder, finally getting her to look up so that he could see his reassuring smile. "Don't worry, we won't leave you behind again."

-

The three friends spent the next few days catching up, with Noah filling in information about her world that the brothers still were not sure of. Winry was still a bit melancholy, but she no longer cried or stared off into space anymore, and Ed did his best to keep it that way.

-

Just five days after her death, Pinako's funeral was held. several old friends from Rizenbool were present, as well as someone who Edward had not expected to see.

Roy Mustang had been a bit nervous about showing up at the funeral of Winry Rockbell's grandmother, but he felt it was the right thing to do. Still, he hung back at the edge of the sad gathering, as of yet unnoticed by the girl whose parents he had slain. As much as Ed was surprised to see him, Roy had expected even less to see the ex-State Alchemist who had disappeared three years earlier.

Careful not to attract Winry's attention, Edward stalked over to the Flame Alchemist whose back was turned to him, and stood even with him, annoyed to find that he was still quite a bit shorter than the soldier. "What are you doing here?"

Roy jumped and did a double take when he realized who was standing beside him. "Full Metal? When did _you_ return?"

"The day Pinako died," answered Ed darkly, glaring straight ahead instead of looking up at Roy. "You didn't answer my question."

"I though it was my duty. I feel responsible for the deaths of the girl's parents, even though I was only following orders."

"You _are_ responsible, and you're probably the last person she wants to see right now."

Roy looked pained, but Ed was not about to let up. "We may have been allies at some points in the past but you were never a friend of mine or hers. The best thing you can do is to stay away from her." With that, Edward turned neatly on his heels and walked away, leaving Roy thoroughly cowed. For his own safety as well as Winry's sake, he left early, and Ed kept his mouth shut about the whole thing.

-

"How was it, Honey?" Riza Hawkeye - soon to be Riza Mustang - asked when her fiance came home.

"The Full Metal Alchemist was there," he answered in a tone so gloomy that Riza had no doubt of the answer to her question.

"So the Elric brothers have returned? That's unexpected."Riza followed Roy to their sofa and stood behind it when he sat down, starting to massage his shoulders. "I'm afraid I have some news for you, too."

"I take it it's something bad?"

"A neighborhood on the eastern edge of Central was attacked yesterday. The reports describe strange, semi-humanoid creatures that seemed to literally emerge from the shadows. They were said to have large, yellow eyes, and some of them were wearing armor. Damage was minimal, but two people involved in the attack were reported missing afterwards. Guns and bladed weapons did work on them, but not well. By the sound of it, it was lucky that their were only two casualties."

The only good effect the report had was that Roy looked more awake. "Any ideas what those things were or where they came from?"

"None, and those that were killed were said to have vanished into thin air. I'd think it was a hoax if there were not so many people with the exact same story."

Roy groaned and slouched lower into the sofa. "What sort of precautions have been placed?"

"Any civilian who sees one of those creatures is to stay away from it and report immediately to the nearest city guard. The guards are ordered to shoot the creatures on sight."

"Good enough. Hopefully we won't have to deal with anymore of those things at all."

She leaned down to kiss the top of his head. "We can only hope."

-

_Bark! Barkbark!_

The four were once again sitting around the coffee table, holding mugs of hot chocolate. The funeral had been hard on all of them. Even Noah, who had not known Pinako, had been reminded of Alphonse Heidrich's funeral.

_barkbarkbark!_

Ed winced as Den barked again from outside. "Al, would you please call that dog in so he'll stop chasing squirrels or whatever?" he grumbled without raising his head from his hands were it rested.

"You're closer to the door, Brother."

Not in the mood to argue, Ed just stood up and opened the door. Sure enough, Den was chasing something... but it was not a squirrel.

As soon as the door was fully open, a small gray shape streaked into the house and vanished under the sofa before anyone could get a good look at it. Den came barreling in after it, barking madly, his auto-mail paw scuffing the wooden floor.

Snapped out of her reverie, Winry jumped up and caught the beast by his collar, but not in time to keep him from bumping into the table and spilling the hot chocolate that Ed had set there.

"Put him back outside, Winry!" Al yelled over the noise of the barking. Edward helped drag the energetic dog back out without much mishap, and then shut the door securely. Den continued to bark and try to get in for a while, then got distracted by something else and wandered off.

Meanwhile, Al was on his hands and knees, trying to coax whatever Den had been chasing to come out.

"Al, be careful!" Ed called in alarm. "What if it's another one of those shadow things?"

"It's not," All said with certainty, reaching under the sofa and pulling out... a small, dark gray tabby cat.

In response, Ed sighed and slumped his shoulders. "I should have known... Al, you're a cat magnet."

"It's not my fault," the younger brother argued, "they just like me for some reason! And how am I supposed to abandon a homeless, starving creature that's so cute and soft?" He held the shivering animal close to his chest, stroking it gently and whispering words of comfort to it.

"That's why they like you. They know that you're soft, too, in another meaning of the word," but Ed's voice was resigned. If his brother wanted to keep the cat, who was he to deny him? Al would have to be responsible for it, though. "Don't expect me to take care of it or keep Den off it. _If _Winey says you can keep it, that is. This _is_ her house, you know."

Of course, Winry was already standing close to Al, helping him soothe the cat. "Oh, it's so skinny! Bring it into the kitchen and I'll give it some food. I guess dog food will work for now. I'll buy some cat food later."

Ed followed them to the kitchen to fetch a paper towel, then returned to clean up the spilled chocolate drink. He listened to their conversation while doing so.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Winry asked while pouring kibbles into a small dish.

"It's a tom," Al answered after a short pause.

"We'll have to get him neutered or he'll start spraying in the house," she said with distaste, but before the sentence had completely left her mouth, Al made a sound of exclamation and the cat zipped out of the kitchen, past Ed, and back under the couch. With a sigh, Ed reached under and pulled him out by the scruff of his neck, but held him for a moment to look him over rather then letting him go. His fur was slate gray with darker stripes of an interesting shade that was almost green. The cat's eyes were large and an eerie, pale green. Ed noticed something else, as well. "Al, I think he's already been neutered."  
"Huh?" Al walked over to Edward's side to retrieve his new pet. "I could have sworn he wasn't... But you're right. That's weird."

"Well, it makes things easier," said Winry from the doorway. "We won't have to deal with it, then." She brought the bowl of food into the living room and set it at Al's feet near the couch. "Feed him here for now. He'll be more comfortable if he knows he can get to his hiding place if something scares him."

Al let the cat down and watched the the starving little animal buried its face enthusiastically in the food.

"What should we name him?" Winry asked.

Al smile fondly down at the animal. "Little Brother."

"That cat is not your brother," Ed growled.

Ignoring his bad temper, Winry suggested, "how about Al? Or Ed?"

"You are not naming that cat after me," grumbled the grouch on the floor.

Al scratched the back of his head uncertainly. "I like cats, but I don't think I'm much like one..." he trailed off as Ed stood up slowly, having finished his task of removing the chocolate from the floor.

He spoke one word: "Lucifer."

Noah, who had stayed in the background until that moment, responded, "why Lucifer?"

Ed looked from her to Winry and Al's curious faces to the cat who had already scarfed down all the food and was now licking his paws contentedly. "In Noah's world, Lucifer is the name of the Devil, but it also means Light Bringer. In my experience, cats are usually either affectionate, delightful pets or destructive little terrors. Either way, the name fits."

The others all gave Ed weird looks, then smiled or, in Winry's case, even giggled. "I like it, and it's so true."

Grinning, Al bent down to pick up the little cat. "All right, your name is Lucifer then," he said, scratching the creature's head gently.

Ed sighed and started to turn and go to the kitchen to dispose of the chocolate-soaked towel he still held, but spared on last glance at the cat in his brother's arms. Both Winry and Noah were now hovering over, stroking and playing with the thing as if it was a baby or something. Yet despite all the attention from Al and the girls, Ed swore that, for one instant, the cat looked directly at him... and winked.

Unnerved, Edward retreated hastily to the kitchen.

-

_Ed was winning, or so he thought. He had Envy pinned down and was punching him repeatedly. Envy kept shape-shifting his face to those of Edward's friends and family, but ed knew better. The face of Roy Mustang appeared, and Ed grinned darkly. "That's the easiest face to punch," and he proceeded to do just that._

_Then Envy asked if he wanted to see his real face. Ed raised his fist for another punch... and froze. At first he thought it was his father looking up at him, but no, there were slight differences. Still, the similarity was unmistakable. If -_

_Unbelievable pain lanced through Edward's chest. Envy had taken advantage of his hesitation and ran him through. Edward had thought that there could be no pain worse than what he had felt when his arm and leg had been ripped off, and the auto-mail surgery that followed, but this equaled if not surpassed it. This was pure agony. _

_Thankfully, it did not last long, for within seconds the world faded and there was nothing, not even darkness._

_-_

Edward awoke with a sock, breathing hard. His chest was still in pain and it felt as if there was some kind of wight on it, but as the dark mists of dreaming faded and he grew more aware, the pain became less frightening and more annoying. He squinted in the blackness, and saw two glowing green orbs in the center of a dark silhouette. At that point, Edward finally recognized the sensation of cat claws kneeding his bare chest methodically.

"Ugh... Lucifer?"

The cat purred.

Edward glared at it, but it seemed completely undaunted, so he pushed it gently but firmly off of the bed and rolled over onto his side. The cat, of course, jumped right back on and curled up against his back. He sighed and commenced to ignore it, and the rest of the night went by just fine.

-

The following day was spent mostly trying to acclimate the cat to the rest of the household and vice versa. Den tried once more to chase it, but one good scratch on the nose from the suddenly bold little feline taught him better. Winry asked Al to go into town and buy cat food, and take Noah along in order to show her around. As an afterthought, she sent Den with them as well so that he would get some exercise. That left her alone with Edward and the cat.

Edward had been relaxing on the sofa since before Noah and Al left. Now Winry joined him. Neither of them looked at the other, and the awkwardness grew as both tried and failed to think of something to say. Edward was too distracted by Lucifer, who perched on one corner of the coffee table and stared at him. That cat was really starting to freak him out.

"Ah..." Winry started uncertainly, "how is your auto-mail holding up?"

Ed blinked. So did Lucifer. "it's perfect. You fixed it, so why wouldn't it be?"

"Oh... good," and the silence returned.

After a moment Lucifer stood up and hopped lightly off the table, padding quietly out of the room. In his absence, Edward relaxed. "You're feeling better now, Winry?"

"Yes. Thank you." There was yet another pause.

"Ed?" Winry touched Edward's hand as she spoke, and he turned curiously to face her.

"Huh?"

"I'm really happy..."

"What are you talking about, Winry?" Ed noticed that their faces were mere inches apart, and their hair - which neither had bothered to tie back that day - fell together in a mingling of golden strands.

"I'm happy that you're here," she explained shyly, face tilted downward so that her blue eyes were looking into his from under long eyelashes.

"W-Winry, what brought this on?" His expression was that of a deer caught in headlights, and Winry laughed slightly despite herself. "Just that I always think of you, especially when you're away. I love you."

"Winry, what?" Ed blinked, thinking he'd misheard her.

"I love you, just like I love Al and Den and I loved Grandma. I'll never forget any of you. That's all."

"Oh." A small smiled played on Ed's face and he stopped blushing quite so much. "I feel the same way."

Winry smiled brightly at him, even as he backed off a little, and they sat side-by-side talking of more trivial matters until the errand-runners returned.

-

A week later, Alphonse came in from outside waving an envelope around. "Brother! There's a letter for you!"

Ed emerged from what had been Grandma Pinako's bedroom, where he and Winry had been sorting through some of the old woman's belongings. "A letter? But who else knows that I'm back?" He stopped, remembering who had been at the funeral. "Oh, no... give me that." He took the envelope from his younger brother and tore it open, unfolding the paper inside and skipping down to the signature at the bottom. "Oh, hell no," he said in irritation, the tone of his voice causing Noah to peak through the doorway of the kitchen where she'd been washing dishes.

"What's wrong?"

"It's from Roy Mustang..." Ed glanced up to note that Winry, who had followed him, now bore an expression as dark as his own. With a sigh, he skimmed over the letter, looking more and more irate. "He says that Central has been attacked twice by strange creatures. His description sounds a lot like the monster you killed, Al. He says there is a shortage of State Alchemists in Central right now and he requests my assistance in defending the city. That jerk! He knows I'm not a State Alchemist anymore!"

"Are you not going, Brother?"

"Of course not! He can deal with it himself. The only way I'd get involved is if those things endanger Rizenbool."

"But Edward," Noah cut in, "we've already been attacked once. Doesn't that count as endangering?"

Ed glared at the paper in his hands stubbornly. "There was only one of those creatures here. It sounds like there were several involved in both attacks on Central. The one you fought was probably lost or something."

None of the others three looked content with this answer, but none of them wanted to argue with Edward, either. In Winry's case, she had even more reason to avoid Roy Mustang than Ed did.

Ed crumpled up the letter and tossed it into the fireplace, then turned on his heel and marched back into the vacant bedroom. Reluctantly, Winry followed him, and the other two went back to what they'd been doing before the interruption.

With the living room empty, Lucifer - having been eying the paper since he heard it being crumpled - slipped out from under the couch and padded casually over to the unlit fireplace. With one dainty gray paw, he batted the paper ball out and chased it back into his hiding spot.

--------------------------------------

author's note: At this point, I need my readers' opinions in relation to the next chapter! The crossover aspect of this fic is really going to pick up in chapter 3, the problem is that it takes place after the second installment of this other story, which has not actually been released yet... (I know, you've probably guessed what it is by now, even before reading this note, but I'm gonna keep being secretive.) So here's the deal: I already have the 3rd chapter written, but I'm sure it's horribly inaccurate. Either I post it now and you deal with the inaccuracies, or I wait until I actually know what's going on and can fix the inaccuracies, but you have to wait about two months for an update. The third option is that I post chapter 3 now so you don't have to wait, then rewrite it when part two of (blank) does come out.

Please vote in your reviews.


	3. Heartless

Chapter 3

Disclaimer/author's note - Well, I haven't got any votes either way, so I'm choosing the 3rd option!

As promised, here's the other disclaimer: all Kingdom Hearts characters belong to Square Enix. I've set this after KH 2 so that I can have Sora and Riku together, but I haven't actually played KH 2 (seeing as it hasn't been released at the time that I'm writing this), only watched the opening and ending, so please forgive any inaccuracies. I may try to correct it after I do play the game, but for now, if it bothers you, just say it's AU. ;;

--------------

"Sora, behind you!"

Sora spun around, slashing the Heartless that had been about to strike. Two more repaid hits from his keyblade finished the monster off, and he looked warily around for more.

"I think that's the last of them," said Riku, lowering his own blade. "They're not very thick in the world, it seems."

"That's good, because I'd rather not have to find and lock the keyhole of every single world we go through. We'll come back later, once we get a new gummi ship." Sora sighed. "When the gummi ship crashed, I thought we'd be trapped in that last world, but then we found that door. Now I swear there's another one nearby. I can sense it."

"So you think that if we keep going through those doors, we'll eventually come to a world we've been to in the past and be able to get help?"

"That's the plan."

"Well, I can't think of a better one right now, so lead the way."

The door was even closer than they expected, in a small cave in the foothills of the mountains they had been traveling towards since that morning. Sora opened it and they stepped through cautiously, trusting their other senses, as the light from the doorway was blinding. When the light faded, they found themselves in a peaceful, green meadow, complete with a fast-flowing stream. There was no sign of the Heartless at first glance, but that did not mean they weren't there.

"Hey Sora, do you see smoke over there?" Riku pointed down-river, and sure enough, tendrils of faint smoke - probably from chimneys - were drifting up from behind the trees.

"Think it's a town?"

"Let's go find out. Maybe we can get some information, or at least find a place to stay for the night."

"I hope the Heartless haven't found this world yet."

"If that's the case, then we better not stay here long. They're attracted to your keyblade, right? So even if they're not here yet, they will be soon if we stick around."

"Right." Sora started walking briskly, following the stream, with Riku close behind him, watching their backs.

After they had both finally made it back to Destiny Island together and reunited with Kairi, Riku had remembered something he still needed to take care of in another world. He and Sora had taken the gummi ship and completed Riku's minor task, but it had malfunctioned on the back. They had been forced to make a crash landing on an unknown world, and the ship had been broken beyond repair. At first, they had both been afraid that they would be stuck there, but then Sora had found a door much like the one that had taken them back to their island. They had no control over where these doors took them, however, and raveling randomly through them proved much more tedious and obviously less accurate than using a gummi ship, but for now it was their only choice.

That looks like it might be a small hotel... maybe," Sora said as they neared the first building.

"Looks like just a big house to me."

"Well, even if we can't stay there, maybe they'll tell us where we can. Just remember not to meddle."

Riku gave him an annoyed look. "You don't have to tell me that every time we find another world, Sora. Anyway, haven't you meddled with other worlds more than I have?"

"That's not true!" Sora cried defensively. "You caused a lot of trouble in the beginning, remember?"

"All right, whatever. Let's not argue."

"Fine."

-

_Knock, knock, knock!_

"Al, could you answer the door?" Winry called from her workshop, where Ed was using alchemy to help her repair some things. Alphonse jumped up to obey.

Two boys stood outside. One looked to be about the same age as Al, with shoulder-length, silver hair, aqua eyes and a pointed chin. The other looked a year or two younger, with spiky brown hair, blue eyes, and a cheerful, innocent face. Al was slightly surprised to notice that they both had the look of fighters as far as build and fitness went. They wore brightly colored, unusually styled clothing.

"Can I help you?" he asked, glancing down briefly when he felt Lucifer weaving around his legs, begging for attention. He took a moment to pick the cat up and hold it in his arms.

"We're just passing through and need a place to stay for the night," answered the taller, silver-haired one. "My friend thought this place might be renting rooms."

Al shook his head. "Um, no, but I can tell you how to get to this town's inn. Just follow -"

Suddenly, Lucifer stiffened, laid his ears flat, and hissed loudly, then struggled out of Al's arms and ran back inside. At first, Al thought he was reacting to the strangers, but then he noticed a movement on the ground just behind the younger boy.

"Look out!" he yelled, pushing the boy out of the way, then clapping his hands together and creating another spear like the one he had used last time.

Six shadow monsters had appeared, two of them wearing armor. Al took out one right off the bat, then watched in surprise as both boys drew strange-looking weapons and proceeded to thoroughly wallop the remaining monsters. In a matter of moments, all six had vanished into nothingness.

Sora and Riku sheathed their keyblades and shared a look of mixed emotions while Al returned his spear to its original form in the earth.

"So there _are_ Heartless here..." Sora murmured.

Al looked at him sharply. "You know what those things are?"

Riku sighed and gave Sora a withering look, but Sora didn't notice.

"They're called Heartless and the steal peoples' hearts. That's pretty much it. What _I _want to know is where that spear you used came from, and where it went. It looked like it was made of solid stone!"

"It was. I made it with Alchemy. A weapon like that is pretty simple." Despite his own words, Al looked pleased by the strangers' astonishment.

"What's alchemy?" asked Sora.

Riku answered before Alphonse could.

"Alchemists believed that it was possible to turn lead and other common metals into gold. Of course, that's impossible. They also tried to make something called the Philosopher's Stone, which could supposedly be used to give a person immortality, but that failed, too."

Needless to say, Al was very startled by this comment, not just because he was a skilled alchemist, but also because he had actually experienced _being_ the Philosopher's Stone. He was more familiar with it than anyone else alive. "What are you talking about? Of course alchemy works! It's more complicated than that, though!" He held up his index finger in an explanatory pose. "Using alchemy, you can transmute any object or substance into any other, so long as they share the same basic elements and mass. It's called the Law of Equivalent Trade. The Philosopher's Stone is supposed to let a skilled alchemist bypass that law, but it doesn't always work. Even so, it is definitely real."

Sora was curious, but Riku looked skeptical.

"Here, I'll show you." Again, Alphonse clapped his hands together and then placed them flat on the ground. Up sprang a statuette of a rearing horse. Al patted the sculpture on the head to prove it was real, then restored it to the ground, because he didn't think Winry would appreciate it if he and Ed left the results of their practice scattered around her front yard. On the other hand, if she ever actually requested a yard decoration, the brothers would happily comply. "Most alchemists must draw a transmutation circle under whatever they're trying to change, but my brother and I know how to do it without one."

"What _I_ would like to know," Edward's voice said from the doorway, making Al jump, "is why you two don't already know about alchemy. I thought everyone was familiar with it... Everyone from _this_ world, anyway," he added, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

Sora sweat-dropped. There is no other way to describe it. "Er, well..." he laughed nervously.

Al, who had been starting to think the same thing, tried to reassure the boy. "Don't worry about keeping it a secret. My brother and I were stuck in another world for three years, and only just got back a couple weeks ago! We thought those monsters must have come from another world, too. Is that right?"

"Um, yeah..." Sora said, giving up. "Since you already know about other worlds, I guess I should also tell you that what the Heartless are after is the heart of each world."

"What happens if they reach the heart of a world?" asked Ed.

"That world will disappear," Riku told him seriously.

"And how do we stop that from happening?"

"This world's keyhole has to be locked," Sora supplied, and drew his keyblade, brandishing it for the brothers to see. "That's what this is for, besides being a weapon."

"So all you have to do is lock the keyhole with that and the Heartless will leave?" Al asked hopefully.

"Sounds too easy," commented Ed before either Sora or Riku could reply. "Let me guess: you don't know where the keyhole is?"

Sora shook his head, and Ed continued, "do you have some way of finding it other than running around randomly? This world is pretty big, you know."

For some reason, Sora looked embarrassed. "Not really. Eventually, the Heartless will find it and gather in the spot where it is, but by then it will probably be too late..."

Edward heaved a great sigh and turned his back on them, calling into the house, "Winry! Noah! We have a problem!"

-

The group gathered around the coffee table was becoming a very familiar scene, but this time it included two new arrivals. To Edward's annoyance, before he had a chance to repeat what the two strangers had told him, Winry insisted on introductions. Okay, so she had no way of knowing how serious this was without actually hearing about it, but she should have known by his expression and tone of voice, he thought!

"So, what are your names?"

"I'm Sora and this is my friend, Riku," Sora said cheerfully, which irked Edward further.

"My name's Winry Rockbell, these are Edward and Alphonse Elric, and this is Noah. Now what has Ed so nervous, anyway?"

Seeing as no one else seemed to be taking things as seriously as he was, Ed took it upon himself to explain the situation. Winry at least looked discomforted by the news.

"We should help them find it, then!" she said with conviction. "You said you wouldn't get involved unless Rizenbool was threatened, Ed, but if the whole world goes, so will Rizenbool!"

"Brother! Does this mean we're going on another journey?"

The Full Metal Alchemist looked at the other faces in the room. Al and Winry's excited, Noah's curious, and Sora and Riku's too calm for Ed's liking. He sighed, but allowed a small smile to appear. It occurred to him then that he had rarely enjoyed himself since the day he and Al returned, and that surprised him. There was nothing he could do about what Sora and Riku had told him _except_ for helping them find the keyhole. He might as well have fun along the way. Yes, a journey would do him good. "I guess so, Al."

"Hey Sora, I thought you said you didn't want to lock they keyholes of every world we pass through yet," Riku commented, earning a very fierce glare from Edward.

Sora grinned and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, but something tells me we don't have a choice this time!" he said with nervous humor.

"Damn right you don't!" Edward yelled, looking as if he was on the verge of pouncing on them if either one tried to leave. "You're going to lock this world's keyhole, and we're going to help you find it! Got that?"

Both of the boys nodded hastily, even Riku being rather disturbed by Edward's violent expression. Al and Winry were giving each other knowing looks, and Winry hid a smirk when Alphonse mouthed, 'he's back...' Luckily, Ed was satisfied with Sora and Riku's answer, and immediately put on a more pleasant face. "Alright, where do we start?"

Just then, a crumpled ball of paper came bouncing out from under the sofa, followed by the tabby cat that had caused it to do so. Lucifer crouched, waving his tail in the air, and then tackled his toy, performing a somersault with it held in his teeth, then carrying it proudly back across the room and depositing it at Edward's feet. Ed stared at the paper a moment before picking it up and unfolding it. The others watched his expression change to one of recognition combined with annoyance, and guessed what it must be.

"Cat... that was not the answer I wanted, but..." he sighed and brushed a lock of hair out of his face. "Oh, fine..."

-

"What are we going to do with the pets?" asked Al, taking a break from their preparations to play with Lucifer. "With all of us gone, the house will be empty..."

"Don't worry," Winry answered, "I'll just ask one of the neighbors to feed them. The weather's pretty warm now, so I think they'd be fine even staying outside. That way they wouldn't get bored and tear up the house."

Alphonse still looked unsure. "I know Den stays outside all the time, but what about Lucifer? What if he gets lost? He was pretty bad off when we found him..."

Winry smiled reassuringly at her friend. He was such a gentle person. "Don't you know? Cats never get lost. If a cat runs away, it's only because it wants to, and Lucifer would never run away from you. You're the best master a cat could have."

"I'm not his master, I just take care of him." He smiled when the cat in question nodded its head at that moment, as if in agreement. "Anyway, what if he thinks we're not coming back? Or what if he tries to follow us?"

Winry sighed and shook her head. "Look, if you think you can take care of him while we're traveling, then I won't try to stop you, but it really could be dangerous to bring him. Cats don't get lost because they know how to navigate in their own territory, but if we're always moving from place to place, he won't have time to learn each area. If you're afraid of him running away, we could ask one of the neighbors to keep him in their house."

Al still did not look satisfied, but he knew Winry had won. With a forlorn sigh, he stroked Lucifer's soft fur slowly, and the cat responded by licking his hand. "I guess you're right..."

-

As it turned out, Alphonse won after all, even though he had already given up. They were filing onto the train that would take them to Central. Edward, Winry, and Noah were already inside, and Al was just stepping on when a frantic meow made him stop and turn his head. It seemed the cat had wanted to be left behind as little as Al had wanted to leave it. "Lucifer!" he cried his pet's name as it leaped into his arms and dig its claws into his shoulder. He winced slightly, but did his best to ignore it. The thought came to his mind - along with memories - that feeling the mild pain from his cat's claws was certainly better than not being able to feel at all. An empty suit of could not enjoy a peaceful sleep, taste a good meal, or feel any physical sensation, whether painful or pleasant. It had taken a long time to get used to it, and he had never liked it. Even now, years later, he still felt a wave of joy and victory when he thought about this human body that his brother had won back for him. If only there was a way to fix his brother's arm and leg. By now, though, neither of them had much hope for that.

He was broken out of his reverie by one of the people who worked aboard the train - a tall, average-looking young man with sandy brown hair. "Do you have a leash or a carrier for your cat?" Al shook his head no, and the man frowned, but the puppy-eyed expression Al gave him was just too much. "Can you hold it in your lap the whole way? I can't have an animal running around free on the train..."

Al nodded, looking almost desperate, and the man sighed. "Fine... but if it gets loose, you'll be responsible."

"I understand," Al said, trying to look as innocent and trustworthy as possible. "Thank you," and he bowed to the man before hurrying onto the train so that Sora and Riku could board behind him.

Ed, Winry, and Noah were sitting on one side of their assigned car. Sora, Riku, and Al - with Lucifer held securely in his arms - sat down across from them.

Edward raised an eyebrow at the sight of his little brother so desperately clinging to the cat. "How old are you, Al?" he grumbled. "Twelve?"

"Hey!" Al protested, glaring at Ed. "Just because I happen to love my pet, that doesn't make me immature."

Ed raised his hands in a defensive gesture. "All right, all right, don't make such a big deal about it."

"You're the one who's making a big deal out of it! Why did you have to bring it up in the first place? And you call _me_ immature..."

Edward was about to retort, but Winry shot him a look of death to silence him, then turned it on Alphonse to make sure he didn't say anything else either. "All right, you two, that's enough! You are both acting like children, and you're making a bad impression on our new companions."

Ed rested his chin on his hand and stared out the window at the swiftly passing landscape, sulking, while Al focused all his attention on Lucifer as an excuse to ignore his brother, despite the fact that the cat was behaving perfectly, crouching quietly in Al's lap with its eyes closed. Noah gave Winry a subtle congratulatory look for stopping the brothers before their disagreement could escalate into a serious fight. Winry almost commented further, but then thought better of it and quit while she was ahead. She did notice that Sora and Riku were not discomforted by the little spat. In fact, Winry got the impression by watching them interact with each other that they had a relationship not so different from that of the Elric brothers.

After a while, the two newcomers started a low conversation which attracted Noah's attention, and eventually Winry's. They spent the rest of the ride getting to know each other and going over various facts and details that might help them on their journey. Towards the end, Edward and Alphonse began supplying their share of information, and the fight was - if not actually forgotten - put in the past where it belonged.

Before they left, Ed had grudgingly sent a letter to Roy Mustang to let him know they were coming. That way, they were expected and were let into Mustang's office without much trouble or waiting. Edward and Roy immediately fell into an aggressive sort of staring contest - instigated by Ed, of course - so it was Winry who had to step forward and explain the situation. This actually worked for the best, because Roy still felt guilty for what he had done to Winry's parents, and was more inclined to listen to her than he would have been to Ed, who he considered to be - despite his skill in alchemy - a rather disrespectful brat, mostly because Roy did not understand exactly why the Full Metal Alchemist dislike _him._

As stated, Winry was a different story all together.

"Allow me to introduce my friends, Sora and Riku," she started. "They have come here from another world like the one Edward and Alphonse Elric were trapped in until less than three weeks ago. They know where the shadow creatures that have been attacking lately come from and how to stop them." She nodded at the intrigued and very focused expression on Roy's face. "To do so, they have to find a keyhole to this world's heart, and lock it with a special weapon called a keyblade. The problem is that we have no idea where the keyhole is. We chose to come here because of the letter you sent. We request permission to investigate Central for clues to the keyhole's location."

the Flame Alchemist was rather wide-eyed by the time she finished, and he nodded his head at once. "Of course! Permission granted, and good luck. I would like to hear everything in more detail at some point, though. Perhaps I can help if I know more about this."

"All right... and one more thing," Winry added. "We will need a place to stay while we're in Central. Since our presence here is originally due to _your_ request, we would appreciate it if the military paid for our rooms and meals, and also, we need to find a hotel that allows pets."

Roy blinked - or rather winked, as he had only one good eye. "Paying for your stay won't be too much of a problem, but I don't think there are any hotels like that in Central. Why do you need it, anyway?"

Al, who had managed to be mostly overlooked by hiding at the back of the group, stepped into full view at that point, with the small, gray cat bundled in his coat.

Roy looked exasperated. "So everyone here has gotten so used to Riza's dog that they didn't think to forbid someone else from bringing a pet in... Those lazy idiots."

Al looked embarrassed, and Ed looked amused, but none of the group said anything. Finally, Roy sighed. "Give me a minute. I'm going to call Riza..." He had gone out of formal mode, but in front of Edward Elric, who had been almost his equal as a State Alchemist, it didn't matter so much. He picked up the telephone and quickly dialed a number, and the others listened cautiously to the one-sided conversation, wondering what he was up to.

"Riza? . . . Yes . . . Listen, the Elric brothers are here with four companions and a cat . . . Yes, I said a cat . . . They need a place to stay while they're in Central . . . Well, yes, if you don't mind . . . I'm glad _you're_ happy about it . . . Right, see you soon." With a sigh, he returned the phone to its base on his desk, then glanced up at the expectant faces. "All right, you can stay at my house, if you want to. Some of you will have to sleep on the floor, though."

At first, Ed looked like he was about to respond negatively just for the sake of arguing, but common sense won out and he nodded slowly. "Winry, what do you think?"

The mechanic shrugged. "I guess it would be easier than trying to rent rooms somewhere else..." she glanced over her shoulder at the others, not quite comfortable making the decision for them. "What do you all think?"

No one had any complaints or alternate suggestions, so they all agreed.

"Right, here's my address." Roy scribbled something on a piece of paper and handed it to Ed. "It's Riza's day off, so sh will be there to let you in. You can drop your packs and that cat off there, and then do whatever research you had in mind. Since this is such an important matter, I am giving you access to all of Central's libraries and records. Riza can give you advice on the best places to look. I have work to do here, so you're dismissed." He went back to the notes on his desk that he had presumably been looking through before the group arrived, and they left briskly, Edward leading the way to the address Roy had given him, since, out of all of them except perhaps Alphonse, he knew the layout of Central the best.

-

"Now Black Hayate," Riza said to her pet dog, "there are going to be some guests staying with us for a while, and they have a cat, so you better behave yourself and not chase it, understand?"

The dog barked once, and his master patted him on the head. "Good boy." Unlike her fiance, Riza Hawkeye was in a good mood today, and was even looking forward to having visitors. Whether or not Roy Mustang got along well with the older Elric brother, the guests would certainly liven things up a bit, and perhaps it would have a positive effect on him. Roy had always been rather reserved and serious compared to his coworkers, but as of late, he was downright gloomy, and Riza was getting sick of it. Maybe she would also have a chance to set him up alone with the Rockbell girl. The murder of her parents still haunted Roy, and Riza thought that if the two could just talk about it, even if it led to an argument, getting it off their chests would do both of them some good in the end.

She tidied up the house a bit, though it was already almost spotless. Hawkeye was cheerful and friendly, but she was also strict - frighteningly so - and that strictness applied to not only her job, but her home, her pet, and her life. She liked it that way.

She checked to make sure there were enough extra blankets for six people, and then brought some of her files to the kitchen table to catch up on work until there was a knock on the door.

"Welcome! Come in, all of you." Riza stepped aside to allow the group to file in through the front door. The next thing she did was to address Al. "I don't suppose you have a litter box or something for your cat? I can't have it making messes in the house. It would be a bad influence on Black Hayate."

At the sound of his name, the dog sitting at his master's feet wagged his tail.

Al shook his head. "No, but Lucifer can go outside. We were worried about him getting lost if we moved around too much, but if we stay here the whole time we're in Central, he should be fine."

Riza nodded and smiled. Winry, who had her own beloved pet, was pleased and amused to notice an understanding pass between them. Riza and Al recognized each other as responsible and caring pet owners and connected on that base. Even such a trivial thing was a good development. Winry and Edward may not get along so well with Roy, but at least there would not be as much of a problem with Riza.

I think you can all fit here in the living room," Riza said. "You can decide amongst yourselves who gets to sleep on the sofa. There re plenty of blankets and pillows for the rest to make pallets with. If you're hungry, there is food in the pantry. Just don't make a mess. Otherwise, get settled in, and then you can get to work right away or wait until tomorrow. When Roy comes home, I expect you to tell us everything you know so that we can give you advice and such." She smiled merrily and then returned to the work she had been doing before they arrived.

By that time, it was already late in the afternoon, so the group chose to postpone their investigation as Riza had suggested. Al took Lucifer outside for a while and watched him from the porch to make sure he did not wander too far. Winry, Sora, Riku, and Ed decided on the sleeping arrangements and put makeshift pallets together out of the blankets Riza supplied. Meanwhile, Noah offered to help Riza with housework. Of course, Riza had already done everything before the group arrived, so she set Noah to making a pot of hot chocolate instead. It seemed to be the most popular drink lately, Winry thought.

-

By the time Roy came home that evening, everyone was settled and waiting for him. He retreated to the bedroom to change out of his uniform first, and when he returned, Riza handed him a cup of hot chocolate and the couple sat down together in the love seat which was set perpendicular to the full-length sofa. Instead of a coffee table like Winry's, they had a smaller but higher square table place in between the sofa and the love seat. It already held a lamp, but there were also a couple coasters for drinks. The people farther away from it would just have to hold their cups, however. Riza did not much care for anyone setting them on the floor, for fear that they would be knocked over accidentally. The guests were not about to disobey her requests.

Noah, Winry, and Al sat on the sofa, with Lucifer curled up in Al's lap. Edward sat cross-legged on the floor with his back leaning against his brother's legs, and Sora and Riku were also on the floor, facing the love seat and its occupants. Black Hayate lay in front of Sora, enjoying a good belly rub. Riza smiled indulgently at the boy who was pampering her dog.

"Well then," started Roy, "I would like to hear everything again in more detail, starting from the beginning." He looked to Sora and Riku. "You two are the ones who have been dealing with these creatures the longest, correct?" When he did not continue after they had confirmed his question, Sora started his explanation of what the Heartless were, where they came from, and what they were after, with Riku adding comments and extra details. Even summing things up as best as they could without leaving anything important out, it still took a long time to explain everything and answer the various questions that not only Roy and Riza asked, but the rest of the group as well.

The questions varied from how to fight the Heartless most affectively, to what traveling from one world to another was like and what similarities and differences existed between worlds, especially anything relating to the keyholes. By the time they had covered everything they could think of - with a break at one point to eat dinner - it was quite late at night and everyone was ready to sleep.

Winry had claimed the couch. After asserting herself, though, she _had_ offered it to Edward, but he had nonchalantly declined, then been forced to assure her that he did _not_ think she was too soft to sleep on the floor, that he knew from experience how tough she was, and that he was just trying to be courteous by letting her keep the comfortable sofa. That calmed her down effectively, and she had thanked him with a happy smile. No one had noticed Noah's discomfort at this interplay.

Sora and Riku slept where they had sat during the story-telling, their pallets giving a third side to the semi-rectangle created by the furniture. Al chose to curl up on the love seat, and Ed set his pallet in the center of the arrangement, parallel to the sofa, with his head at the end closest to the love seat so that he was near to both Winry and Al. It took him longer to fall asleep than the others. He spent several minutes lying in darkness, listening to Lucifer's low purring. The cat was perched on the back of the love seat. Edward tried to picture him as some sort of guardian, but kept getting the impression of a vulture instead, looming over his brother and himself. That unnerving vision and the thoughts and fears it inspired were what kept him awake for so long.

-

Naturally, Edward was the last person still sleeping in the morning, and finally awoke to find everyone else eating breakfast. Apparently, Riza liked scones, as she had set out a wide selection of them on the kitchen counter, ready to be toasted and buttered or prepared in whatever other fashion the guests preferred. Ed entered the room with his left hand raised to the back of his head, trying to untangle and straighten his sleep-mussed hair. Alphonse smiled up at him contentedly. "Good morning, Brother. Did you sleep well? It's already past nine-thirty, you know."

"Hn," was the noise Ed made in response while tugging his still rather messy blond hair back into its usual ponytail. He considered picking back up his old habit of wearing a braid. It did keep his hair from becoming so tangled. It also occurred to him just then what an odd scene they all made; Winry, Noah, Al, Sora, Riku, Roy and Riza all sitting around the kitchen table munching on deliciously hard scones and chatting amiably while Ed stood there looking like he hadn't slept a wink, with shoulders slumped tiredly and shadows under his eyes. "Your cat gave me nightmares, Al," he complained, claiming the last chair and accepting the warm, sweet-smelling blueberry scone his brother offered him.

"Lucifer?" Al asked in mild disbelief, glancing over at the cat who was currently crouched in the corner below the counter, enjoying a bowl of juicy canned tuna. Black Hayate had made a move for it, but one stern "no" from Riza had stopped him in his tracks and made Winry wish that Den was so well trained. "I don't understand why you have a problem with my cat, Brother," Al commented without meeting Ed's eyes. He did not want to start another fight, but Edward's apparent prejudice against Lucifer was really annoying him.

Not really in the mood to talk, much less argue, Ed just shrugged and nibbled on his scone, staring dully at the tabletop in front of him.

"We were just discussing the most likely places to find the keyhole," Riza said cheerily, annoying the tension between the siblings. "I thought that - if the keyhole leads to something that has existed since the beginning of the world - it would be in some natural place, but Sora said that, although some keyholes were found in caves or waterfalls and such, others were in man-made objects, like a clock tower or an actual door. So basically, it could be almost anywhere." She grimaced, but with good humor.

"So, instead of narrowing it down, you just widened the possibilities," Ed commented. "Well, I guess all we can do is check every place we think of."

"You can use the libraries and records I mentioned earlier to research sites that might have historical importance in some way or another," Roy suggested. "The Central Public Library has a huge collection, which means it may take a long time to find anything, but also makes it more likely that there will be a clue there. If you do manage to narrow it down a bit, I can ask Havoc and the others to study what you find in more detail. The more people working on this, the less time it is likely to take."

Sounds reasonable," Edward yawned. "We'll get started as soon as I'm awake." He took a sip from the glass Riza passed to him without bothering to look at it, and immediately regretted it. Somehow, sense of respect for his hosts kept him from spitting out the milk as soon as he tasted it. Instead, he forced himself to swallow. grimacing, then glared bloody death at the whole congregation. "Someone could have warned me..." he said in a low voice, though he looked ready to scream.

Most of the group was shocked by his reaction, but Winry and Al were just trying to hide their smiles. "You didn't give me much of a chance," Al said in his soft voice, "and I guess I expected you to notice it before you actually drank any. I guess you really _didn't_ get enough sleep."

"No kidding..." Ed grumbled.

"I take it you don't like milk, Edward?" Riza asked innocently.

"It's disgusting!" he raged, standing up and slamming his hands down on the table. The unpleasant surprise had woken him up. "How do you expect me to drink some thick nasty, white liquid that came from a cow!" He dragged the back of his hand across his mouth and then chomped furiously on his scone to erase the flavor.

Winry smothered a giggle and took a drink from her own glass of milk. "Honestly, Ed, you're so silly sometimes. You drank milk from your mother when you were a baby, right? Or did you not? Is that why you're so... never mind."

Even though she had not finished the sentence, Edward stared at her as if she had betrayed him. "You are really asking for it, you know? And it doesn't matter! I still think milk is disgusting!"

Sora took a turn trying to reason with him. "You eat beef and steak, right? That comes from cows too, so what makes is milk so different?"

"That's not the same!" Ed contradicted, but did not actually answer the question.

Finally, Al came to his defence. "All right, I think we've messed with him enough. It's not that big of a deal, anyway."

"That's the point," Winry said matter-of-factly. "If it was a big deal, we wouldn't tease him so much."

To their surprise, Ed returned to his seat, chuckling. "Someday, Winry, I'm going to find some little, unimportant thing that bothers you the way milk does to me, and then you will feel my wrath!" He said it in a way that was exaggerated and obviously meant in fun, and thus the rest of the morning meal was spent in cheerful teasing and play.


	4. Haunted

Chapter 4

"Did you hear?" handsome, blond-haired Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc asked, joining his coworkers and friend in the break room. "The Elric brothers are here with some friends and they're looking for a way to get rid of those monsters. They actually arrived four days ago."

Sergeant Major Kain Fuery looked up with interest, pushing his glasses higher up on his nose with one finger. "I did hear a rumor that they were back. Sounds like it's true. So where are they now?"

"In the public library, but if they don't find what they need there, I hear they'll be checking the military's library and records room."

Fuery's eyes went wide with fear, and the other two in the room - tall, silver-haired Warrant Officer Falman and stocky, tough- looking Second Lieutenant Breda - both looked up from the card game they were playing. "The r-records room? You mean the one at the back of the first floor, by the stairs to the basement!"

"Yeah... is something wrong with it?"

"Haven't you heard?" Fuery's voice lowered almost to a whisper. "Strange things have been happening down there. People who pass by say they hear noises... a tiny voice calling for help, followed by a low, rumbling growl. Also, books and things have been found knocked off of shelves, and some pages and sheets of loose paper have even been torn to shreds. It sounds like a poltergeist..."

"Aren't there rats down there?" Breda asked. "Maybe they are what's doing it."

"I thought of that too, so I set traps," Fuery answered, "but when I checked them this morning, it looked like they had all been set off. The weird thing is that they were all empty."

Havoc was growing nervous. "Did you actually go in and look around?"

"Well... no. I just peeked through the door. I was too scared to go in. That room is creepy even in the middle of the day!"

"We should probably go check it out," Havoc mused.

"Wait," said Falman, speaking up for the first time. "Maybe we should tell Lieutenant Mustang about this."

"Y-yeah," Havoc agreed. "He's the bravest of us. I'm sure he can find out what's going on."

It had taken them a while to get used to calling Roy Mustang Lieutenant instead of Colonel after he was demoted for killing the fuhrer. Subconsciously, they still thought of him as their colonel, but if, in a slip of the tongue, they ever called him that, he would glare at them with that one eye, making them notice distinctly the eye patch that covered the other one. He had earned that eye patch in his last with the fuhrer, King Bradley, who had -according to Mustang and the Elric brothers - really been the humunculus named Pride. In the end, the change in rank did not make that much of a difference. He was still their superior.

-

"You're telling me you think there's a ghost in the records room?" Mustang asked in disbelief, looking at each of the four superstitious officers in turn. "You _do_ remember the last time you came to me with such a story, don't you? You still owe me for that, by the way."

"You mean the time we thought there was a thirteenth warehouse and it was haunted, but it turned out to be Lieutenant Hawkeye's dog?" Havoc asked, knowing that it was the right answer. "This is different, though! It's not just any ghost in the records room; it's a poltergeist!"

"I thought the dog was even scarier than a ghost," Breda muttered, but no one paid attention to him.

Roy sighed and stood up reluctantly. "I suppose you want me to help you solve this little ghost story? Fine, let's just get it over with. I'm sure there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for all this, but you won't leave me alone until I find it, right? So let's go." The others looked guilty, but Roy was right. Until they were assured that there were no ghosts in their work place, they would be too nervous to get anything done, and Roy knew it.

The first thing they did was check the records room more thoroughly. As Fuery had said, the traps had all been activated, but each one was empty. In fact, they could not find hide nor hair of any rat, mouse, or other rodent, despite all the signs that something had been in the room recently.

Havoc picked p a shred of paper from the floor. "Take a look at this," he said quietly. "This edge looks like it might have been chewed on by a rat or something, but these look like claw marks here." He pointed to each mark and tear as he spoke. "I've never seen a rat with claws that far apart... Do you think it's the ghost of a giant, mutant rat?"

"Why does it have to be a ghost at all?" Roy questioned. "It could just be a particularly large, but otherwise normal rat. Honestly, I almost think you _want_ it to be a ghost."

"No!" Fuery said vehemently, almost losing his ever-present cigarette. He caught it, though, and puffed on it frantically. "We just want to make sure it isn't one!" We're not taking any chances this time."

Roy put a hand to his forehead and sighed. "And how exactly do you plan on finding out?"

"Well, the noises are usually heard by the night staff between four and five in the morning," Fuery explained, "so I think we should come wait here at that time to see what happens. All of us together, of course," he added quickly. The last thing he wanted was to come here in the darkest hour of the night only to find himself alone.

"Sometimes I wonder what would be worse," Roy commented, "being haunted by a ghost or having to deal with you people for the rest of my life."

"Aw, we're not that bad, are we?" Havoc asked, as the others murmured similar complaints at the same time.

"All right," Breda said, clapping his hands together to get everyone's attention, then regretting it when the sudden sound seemed to echo despite the low ceiling of the room. "Er, Until then, let's research any stories about people who have died here and might have reason to haunt the records room. Or anyone who would want to curse the place by summoning an evil spirit, for that matter. If we can find out why the spirit is here, we can find out how to help it move on."

Fuery started to say something, but then glanced unsurely at Mustang and stayed silent until Breda poked him in the ribs and asked what he was about to say. "Well, um... I just thought of some people who were connected to this place before they passed away, but..."

"Just say it, Fuery," Breda told him.

The boyish officer bowed his head meekly. "Well, it could be King Bradley, or Maes Hughes..." he looked up at Roy again, and flinched at the stern glare the lieutenant aimed at him.

"For one thing," Roy explained darkly, "Bradley was a humunculus, not a real human, so I don't think he could leave behind a ghost, even if such things existed. And as for Hughes... How dare you even suggest it. He was a great man and would never even think of doing something like that. As for your little plan, we are all still on duty. Do your real job now, and study ghosts on your own time... or I might just tell Hawkeye what you're up to."

There were shudders of fear all around. "You wouldn't!" Falman protested.

"I would and I will if you don't let me get back to work. Tomorrow morning I shall prove to you once again that there are no such things as ghosts." He stomped purposefully out of the room, making sure the others had all exited before he shut the door. He glared at them until they got the hint and hurried back to their offices.

-

Despite Roy's sternness, the four managed to get off work early and made the decision to join Edward's party at the library.

The group investigating the keyhole had worked out a system. One day was spent in the library making a list of possible locations, then, the next day, they visited each of those places that they could reach, in hopes that one would hold the keyhole. They were on their second day of list-making when Havoc, Fuery, Falman and Breda sat down at the table next to theirs. Al was the one who looked up first and recognized them. Then his brother noticed who had distracted him. "Hey," Edward called, disregarding the library's quiet rule, "it's you guys. Long time no see."

The officers waved and responded with softer greetings before returning to their books, but Ed wasn't through with them. "Did Mustang send you here to help us?" he asked, walking across to their table and glancing at their collection of books. "Why are you researching paranormal stuff?"

At that point, a stereotypical-looking old librarian tromped over and shushed Ed harshly. Startled, he sat down clumsily and blinked like an owl until the old lady drifted away, apparently satisfied that she had done her duty in silencing the deviant. The four men snickered lightly after the librarian had moved far enough away, but Ed silenced them with a sharp glare.

"Ahem," Havoc cleared his throat before replying in a whisper, "sorry, but we're doing research for something else. You should probably stay out of it. In fact, I really don't think you would want to be involved."

Ed raised an eyebrow, but then shrugged in disinterest. "Whatever. I have my own work to do, anyway," and he returned to his seat beside Winry and buried his nose in a book, remaining that way until the librarian came back to tell them that it was closing time.

The two groups bid each other brief farewells at the big double door of the library, and then went their separate ways. Edward's group returned to Mustang's house, of course, but the other four went off looking for something to do for the rest of the night. They were too excited to even consider sleep.

-

"So, did anyone find anything useful?" Havoc asked as the group seated themselves around a table in a cafe that stayed open late.

"I read a lot of basic information about spirits," Breda answered, "but not much that at least one of us hasn't heard already, I bet."

"It was the same for me," Fuery said, and Falman nodded his head. "We'll probably have more luck if we look in the records room itself."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" questioned Breda. "What if we anger the ghost?"

Havoc clenched his fists and put on a brave face. "It's our best option! Besides, we already went in once with Lieutenant Mustang, and before that, Fuery set those rat traps. If there's any sort of curse or haunting, it's probably already on us, so whatever we do now won't make much of a difference." He tried to keep his tone sturdy and resigned, but still there was a faint quiver of fear in it.

"But Havoc," Fuery said, "even if we go now, it will be dark by the time we get back to base. Do you really want to go into the records room at night when Mustang's not with us?"

Havoc attempted to look deflated, but was actually relieved. "Good point. I guess that's out of the question, then. We'll just have to wait and see what kind of ghost it is."

"Come on, men," Breda said supportingly, "let's go enjoy our last night of freedom before the curse sets in." His words were not as encouraging as he had meant them to be.

That night in Central, several establishments designed for various entertainments that stayed open late were graced by the patronage of four men from the military who seemed almost desperate to enjoy themselves. Not wanting to miss such a good chance to make money, the owners of said establishments encouraged their carpe diem mood and served them well, and did not even complain about the constant smoking of the taller blond-haired one.

-

At four o'clock in the morning, four rather tipsy figures huddled together on the steps of the military office building of Central, under a pitch black sky accented only by the tiny, white specks of stars. There was a chill, damp breeze from the northwest, foreshadowing the coming of a thunderstorm, but it was too dark to make out any clouds in the distance. It was unusually quiet for such a large city. The only sounds were the wind rustling in the leaves of trees, and the haunting lullaby of a lone nightingale. The four men gathered on the steps did not find this to be a very peaceful night, however. All of them were tense and nervous, despite their mild intoxication, and continuously jumping at shadows. The arrival of the fifth person was an especially great fright.

Breda was holding their lantern, but facing the building, so when Roy came up behind him, the stocky man's shadow turned Roy into a featureless black figure. Breda froze, Fuery gasped, and Havoc shrieked like a little girl. Their reaction startled Roy in turn, and it took several moments to get everyone reasonably calmed down.

"You idiots," Mustang growled. "Why didn't you just hold the lantern where it would light your surroundings? Not that I want to encourage your silly paranoia, but anyone could sneak up on you like that."

"W-we didn't want to attract attention," said Fuery, "but when you put it that way..."

"Let's just go," Roy sighed, stepping past them and unlocking the door, and hoping that the faint scent of alcohol as he passed them was just his imagination. He closed and relocked the door once they were all inside.

The building was silent and empty. The night staff must have all left early. There was an unspoken but mutual agreement amongst the five not to turn on any lights. While it may be comforting, it could also discourage the 'ghost' from showing up.

Roy stayed relaxed and acted normally, whereas the other four were trying to stay as quiet as possible, and wincing every time Roy's footsteps echoed in the wide corridor. They made it to the records room - having carefully skirted around the entrance to the basement, just because basements were also classic places for hauntings - and paused at the door. Roy was still trying to stay calm, but the rest were giving off almost tangible waves of fear, and they were starting to effect the Flame Alchemist. Becoming aware of this, he clamped down on those feelings resolutely. This little expedition would turn out exactly like the warehouse thirteen fiasco. He was sure of it.

He opened the door to the supposedly haunted room and ushered the others inside. They hesitated, of course, and in the end, he had to physically push them to make them move. This irritated him, and that annoyance covered any instinctual uneasiness caused by their fear. "Come on, you are not going to chicken out now. We are going to sit in there until a big rat or some other destructive but perfectly ordinary animal reveals itself to be your so-called poltergeist, got it?"

The others nodded reluctantly and sat down in a circle in the middle of the room, with their backs to the lantern in the center so that they could see everything around them. They stayed still and silent, not wanting to alert their quarry, though they knew not whether it would retreat if startled, or attack.

The little flame inside their lantern flickered on its own, making their giant shadows shrink, grow, and tremble eerily. Sitting so still yet so nervously alert within the silent darkness allowed their senses of sight, hearing and touch to grow hypersensitive. A few specks of dust that had probably been sent into the air when they sat down now went up Havoc's left nostril, forcing him to raise his hand to his nose to keep from sneezing. His hand brushed Fuery's on the way, making both of them quiver. Fuery's shadow contorted as it was spread over both the wall and one of the shelves, and Falman jerked his head to the other side to spare himself from the monstrous apparition. His sudden movement made Breda jump, bumping into Roy, who's eye widened in surprise. Roy however, would not allow himself to be frightened by such little things. He glared at Falman, then turned the look on the others, trying to express how obnoxious and annoying he thought they all were without actually saying anything. Meekly, the four settled back down to wait, each one trying to calm his pounding heart.

Time seemed to stretch on forever, every second an eternity of high-strung terror. Eventually, Roy twisted around to use the lantern light to read the time on his State Alchemist pocket watch, and was surprised to find that they had only been their for ten minutes. It had seemed at least three times that long.

Without warning, a box of files fell from a shelf near the ceiling and crashed on the hard floor, papers scattering everywhere. All five of them jumped, and all but Roy let out yelps of surprise. They huddled together in fear - all but Roy, of course - and watched as a dark shape darted out from the place where the box had been, flitted across the room - drawing gasps and squeaks from the cowardly group in the process - and then leaped in one fluid, boneless motion up the shelves on the opposite wall and appeared to vanish into thin air. Even Roy was staring wide-eyed at the place where the apparition had disappeared. The others were pressed together behind him, quaking in terror. Before anything else could happen, the group scrambled to their feet and backed up against the door, flattening themselves against it until Roy reached behind himself and turned the doorknob, causing them to stumble backwards out of the room. Even Roy barely had the presence of mind to dart back in and retrieve the lantern before slamming the door shut, separating them from whatever was inside.

As the others tried to stare at him and the door at the same time, Roy cleared his throat and brushed imaginary dirt off of his clothes, trying to look as if he had never lost his composure. "I still don't think it's a ghost," he said, somehow managing to keep his voice even, "but it could be one of those Heartless the Elric brothers are dealing with. In fact, that seems likely. If that is the case, I should seal off this room until I can get one of the boys with the keyblade weapons to come down here and take care of it. Even if there is only one, it's still too dangerous to risk someone coming in here and being attacked."

"Y-yeah," Havoc agreed rather desperately. "That must be what it is." He drew a hand across his sweating brow. "Those shadow monsters are scary, but not as scary as a ghost. But, um... let's get out of here now." he was clinging to Roy's shirt, and thus dragged him along as he made his way hurriedly to the exit. The rest followed close behind.

-

"Where have you been?" Riza asked when Roy came back home. Waking up before dawn was a habit for her. It gave her time to get some extra work done before the day officially started, and besides, she was a morning person.

Roy gave a weary sigh. "You really don't want to know."

"Yes I do," she persisted, keeping her voice low so that she would nor disturb the sleeping guests.

"Havoc and the others insisted that I help them with some silly extra bit of work that needed to be done at night. Please don't ask further."

She smiled thinly. "Those guys sure are obnoxious. I'll just have to question them about it later, and tell them not to make my fiance go out at all hours of the night unless it's very important. No, better leave off that last part. They have a skewed perspective of what is and what is not important. Do you you think that will help?"

Roy laughed softly and thanked her with a light kiss. "Definitely. They're more terrified of you than they are of any ghost."

"Ghost? What ghost?"

Roy laughed again, this time a little nervously. "Never mind, honey. It's just something they said earlier, that's all."

-

Later that morning, Roy stopped on his way to the main door of the office building and peered around the corner. The four from that night were standing at the far end of the building, where the currently inactive air conditioner sat against the wall. Fuery saw Roy out of the corner of his eye and waved him over excitedly. "Look at this!" he exclaimed, pointing to an opening above the air conditioner box. It was a large vent that was supposed to have a closable grate to keep the cold air from escaping through it during the hot summer, but the grate had fallen off. It was mostly blocked off, however, by a shelf full of books and files. "This leads into the records room, right to the spot where that creature vanished! That explains how it's been getting inside!"

"You know," said Havoc, thinking about the warehouse incident and wondering just how similar it was to this one, "with that big air conditioner there, I bet even something like a dog could jump through the vent. That thing we saw moved like it had four legs, and I'm pretty sure it had a tail, too. Do you think...?" he trailed off, following something in the distance with his eyes. Roy turned around to see Black Hayate trotting in their direction, fluffy tail held high. Breda edged back against the wall as the dog neared them, but the others moved forward to greet him with cheerful voices and pats on the head. All but Breda had grown to love Hawkeye's pet dog.

Fuery looked at the vent, then back down to the dog and frowned. "He sure has grown... You know, I don't think he could fit through that vent, especially with the shelf there..."

The others, who had also been starting to hope that this mystery would have the same solution as the last one, lost their happy, relieved expressions and eyed the vent uneasily.

"Maybe it was a shadow monster after all," said Falman.

"Or even a ghost," Havoc added, but before last night's terror could return, something else captured their attention.

Behind the building was a fence, and along that fence was a line of bushes. The shrub at the nearest end of the line rustled, and then a small shape extracted itself from the leafy cover. The group watched in dumbfounded silence as a small, gray tabby cat padded nonchalantly towards them. It paused to touch noses with Black Hayate, then proceeded to jump smoothly onto the air conditioner and through the open vent. After a pause, the group heard a frightened squeak, the faint sound of small paws scampering across the room, then the disturbingly wet snap of tiny bones being crushed, followed by contented purring. Hesitantly, Havoc peaked through the vent, and then quickly backed off. The cat crouched on the floor, purring as he happily devoured the bloody corpse of a rat. Each of the others took turns looking, then stood around dumbly for a few moments. Roy had the most interestingly mixed expression of surprise and annoyance. "I should have known it all along..." he said dejectedly. "The squeaky cries for help, the empty traps, and the growing, or rather, purring..." He covered his face with a hand and explained, "that cat belongs to Alphonse Elric, and is supposed to be staying at my house right now. When the brothers first arrived, they brought him up to my office with them. He must have smelled the rats and memorized the way here so he could come back and hunt. It was so obvious..."

And so the mystery of the haunted records room was solved, but only after Lucifer had enjoyed many tasty rats.


	5. Envy

Chapter 5

After three weeks, almost every area of Central had been searched by the six, all without success. They did still have a long list of places outside of Central that they planned on covering next, however. Their research had been interrupted five times by Heartless attacks, but Sora and Riku had always been close enough to reach the scene before anyone was seriously injured. There was something else about the attacks, as well. Edward thought he had noticed a pattern, but he was not sure enough to mention it to the others yet. He decided to wait a while longer, and if the pattern continued, he would bring it up. At the moment, though, he was taking a break.

The group had finished that day's search early, since they had so view places left to search, and afterwards, Edward had decided that he needed an hour or so alone to think, so he went for a walk. He breathed deeply, enjoying the fresh air. The weather was perfect; not too hot or too cold, or even particularly warm or cool. There was just the faintest hint of a breeze, but it picked up occasionally, ruffling Ed's long hair. At first, he had thought that he was completely alone, taking the back streets to avoid busy areas, but some instinct him look over his shoulder at one point, to find Lucifer prancing along behind him on silent paw pads. The clever little cat was probably curious about what he where he was going, Ed guessed, and did not pay any more attention to it.

Letting his thoughts wander and choosing his path based on which streets looked the most peaceful and pleasant, he eventually found himself in a neighborhood he remembered from an earlier search. He also remembered that there was a nice tree-filled park just on the other side of the row of buildings to his right. He stopped at the entrance to an alley and peered through it. Sure enough, he could see the park on the other side. The alley was dark, partially hidden from the houses by tall bushes on one side and a high, thick wooden fence on the other, but Edward was no child, afraid of such places. He turned down the alley without a second thought, that is, until, half way through and in the most shrouded section of the path, he heard a distinct footstep behind him. Reflexively, he whirled around, then froze, not quite believing the sight before him.

An androgynous figure stood only three paces away from Ed, smiling in a sinister fashion. He wore a sleeveless black top that showed his midriff, and a matching skort, with red bands connecting the two pierces. His hair fell in long, greenish black streaks that had always reminded Edward of the leaves of a palm tree, though he had usually been too occupied with fighting while in the presence of this individual to contemplate his hairstyle. This was Envy, one of the seven humunculi who had plagued the Elric brothers over the course of their quest for the Philosopher's Stone. Each of the seven - Lust, Greed, Gluttony, Pride, Sloth, Wrath and Envy - were the results of alchemists trying and failing to perform human transmutation, usually in order to bring someone back from the dead. It was a taboo, but when a person has just lost a loved one unexpectedly, it is very easy for that person to become so desperate as to break the laws of nature. The problem was that there was not one single case of human transmutation that had actually succeeded. Instead, if anything was brought to life at all in the attempt, it was a fake, man-made human called a humunculus. Edward and Alphonse knew all this from experience. Their mother had died when they were only children, and, desperate to see her smiling face again, they made the decision to study alchemy until they learned how to perform human transmutation. They had done it, but sacrificed Ed's leg and Al's entire body in the process, only to fail horrendously. Thus, Sloth was born. Somehow, young Edward had managed to summon enough strength to perform a second alchemical ritual, trading his arm for the return of his brother's soul, which he sealed into the nearest human-shaped object - a suit of armor that had fallen nearby. Alphonse had carried his grievously wounded brother to Pinako and Winry Rockbell, who had given him an auto-mail arm and leg. When Ed recovered, he and Al decided to find the legendary Philosopher's Stone and use it to restore their bodies. After four years, their journey came to a climactic finish in which Envy fatally injured Edward, Alphonse - who had actually _become_ the Philosopher's Stone - sacrificed himself to save his brother, and then Edward - who would not even consider living without Al - did the same. In the end, Al's original body was restored, while Ed ended up trapped on the other side of the gate. Even though they were literally worlds apart, the brothers had both spent the next two years trying to reunite. It was only when someone in the Thule Organization discovered the Elrics' world and created a man-made Gate that the brothers found each other again. Envy had followed Edward through the Gate two years before, taking the form of a giant serpentine dragon, and then been captured by the Thule Organization, along with Ed and Al's father, Hohenheim. Using human transmutation on Envy and Hohenheim, Thule opened a Gate which ultimately allowed the brothers to reunite.

That was it, though. Human transmutation had been used on Envy, which should have destroyed him. _All _of the humunculi should have been long gone. The others had all been destroyed or sealed, some by Edward himself. Even poor Wrath, who had died helping Al fight Gluttony. Ed had never expected to meet one again, yet suddenly here one was, three years later, leering with dark amusement at Edward's stunned reaction.

"Greetings, little brother," Envy said with mock cheer. "It certainly has been a while. Did you miss me?"

Ed was still too perplexed to be angry. "H-how? You're supposed to be dead!"

"Tch," Envy scoffed. "I don't die that easily. I guess I'm a lot like you in that way, don't you think? But then, _you_ had your own little brother to save you, whereas I had to survive without any help. That means I'm stronger than you."

Ed backed up a step, frowning. "What do you want, Envy? Are you here to kill me again?"

Envy pretended to think about it. "Well... maybe not kill you just yet, but a good fight would be fun." Even before the words had completely left his mouth, he was moving. Edward tried to dodge, but could not avoid the sudden attack. Envy fought dirty from the beginning, kicking him in the chest and sending the alchemist flying backwards with the breath knocked out of him. Grinding his teeth in pain, Edward forced himself up after only two or three seconds. His hands clapped together and drew apart, leaving his auto-mail hand transmuted into a blade. He dashed at Envy, but his slash missed. Coming in close, the two exchanged several quick blows, most of which were blocked or dodged. Ed did get in a couple good slices, cutting Envy's arm and cheek, but they were only flesh wounds, and his enemy inflicted just as many successful strikes.

Envy was only using his own body as a weapon, while Edward had his armblade, but the humunculus was stronger and more agile. Ed saw an opening and lunged with all his might, but Envy sidestepped, and Ed could not catch his balance in time. He stumbled past Envy, who, in one fluid motion, caught him by the arm - the real one - twisted it around to throw him further off balance, then yanked it upwards and brought it down again suddenly, literally snapping it over his knee.

Ed screamed in pain and fell away from his attacker, clutching his arm to his chest. One of the bones had pierced through the flesh, and his shirt was quickly becoming soaked in blood. He backed up against the fence and used it to brace himself against in order to stand up, but before he could do any more than that, Envy reached down casually and pulled Edward up by his shirt collar, blood streaming from the cut on his face and falling in crimson droplets onto Ed's. The humunculus created from the body of a half-brother Edward had never known sneered at him. "I knew it. You're even weaker than before." He slammed Ed against the fence so that the back of his head cracked on the solid wood behind him, then nailed him hard in the gut with his knee. Ed's eyes bugged and he gasped, then slumped in Envy's grip. He had blacked out.

-

It was evening when Edward regained consciousness, though if it was the same day as the fight or if he had slept more than twenty-four hours, he had no idea. He blinked in confusion at the unfamiliar white ceiling as the memories of the encounter took their sweet time coming back. He _hurt_. His whole body felt battered. Each bruise from Envy's hits, each scrape and patch of raw skin from the rough gravel of the alley made itself known. His arm was the worst, but his head came in at a close second. He had been drugged, or else the fresh injuries would have effected him much more, but the pain was anything but gone, just felt distant and a little foggy.

Steeling himself, he glanced down at his left arm. Unlike the rest of his body, it was placed on top of the bedsheets of what he realized was a hospital bed. The wound had been stitched up and the bones set and a cast to hold them tightly in place. It looked neat now, but the image of the ruin Envy had made of it was still fresh in his mind. A sudden uncertainty and fear gripped him, and, bracing himself, he tried to move his left hand. Pain lanced sharply up his arm, but his fingers gripped the sheets strongly enough, and, once the pain had subsided a bit, he sighed in relief. He had already lost the use of one arm. He did not want to deal with that again.

Another hand touched his, as if urging it to relax. Still dazed, he had not even noticed the other person in the room until that moment. He looked up at the pretty face with its slightly frowning lips, troubled blue eyes and frame of pale gold hair. He tried to speak, but had to clear his throat before any sound would come out. "Winry?"

"Welcome back, Edward. How do you feel?"

"...Ouch."

"Yeah," Winry showed him the faintest of smiles. "That's how you look, too."

"Where's Al?" He looked around the room, hoping to see his brother.

"I made him go eat dinner. He didn't want to leave you, though. Noah had to practically drag him out the door. He'll be back soon, I'm sure."

"What happened?" He raised his head and felt suddenly dizzy. Winry moved her hand to his forehead, pressing him back down onto the pillow. He wanted to feel her cool fingertips on his aching head, but something blocked them - a bandage.

"That's what we'd like to know, and don't move your head much right now," she added. "Whoever beat you up gave you a pretty nasty concussion along with that broken arm. We had no idea that you were in trouble until Lucifer came running into the house and meowing at us frantically. He actually pulled at our legs until we figured out that he wanted us to follow him, and he led us straight to you." She looked down, avoiding eye contact. "I was... we were worried about you, Ed," she told him in a quiet, sincere voice that sounded almost as if she was near tears... or had recently shed them.

Ed tried to picture the fight as clearly as he could, and realized that he had not seen Lucifer at all once Envy appeared. The cat must have sensed trouble and ran home to bring help. Briefly, Ed wondered what would have happened to him if he'd been left in that alley overnight, bleeding profusely and rendered senseless by a concussion... then hurriedly chased that sobering thought away and got back to the present. "It was Envy," he said simply.

Winry gaped at him. "Envy! But... that can't be right! All the humunculi are dead, aren't they?"

"I thought so, too, but it was definitely Envy. He talked to me... taunted me, is more like it." He sighed, closing his eyes. They were already starting to feel heavy.

Winry drew her hand back slowly, letting her fingers brush against his cheek, and he turned his head towards them in response, beginning to drift off. Then the door opened and Al entered, pausing when he saw that Ed was awake. "Brother!" he exclaimed softly, swiftly covering the distance between them and kneeling next to the chair Winry was sitting in.

Ed opened his eyes only half-way at first. "Hi, Al." He blinked and looked more closely at his younger brother, frowning. "You look almost as bad as me, minus the bandages. When was the last time you slept?"

"Um, well... I stayed up all last night watching over you, so not since the night before last," Al explained. "Winry tried to stay up with me, but I kept telling her to sleep until she finally listened. I guess she was doing the same for me by making me eat." He glanced up at Winry for confirmation, and she nodded, so he turned his full attention back to his beloved brother. "Are you going to be okay?"

Edward gave both of them one of his confident - though weary - smiles. "Oh, come on. You know I don't go down that easily. Envy said I was weak, but he was wrong, and next time we meet, I'll prove it." He turned his head back towards the ceiling, letting his golden eyes flutter close again. "Right now, though, what I need is some real sleep - not just unconsciousness. So do you two, so sweet dreams and I'll see you in the morning." Smiling, he carefully drew his auto-mail hand out from under the bed covers and made a shooing motion at them, then followed his own orders and let himself fall asleep.

-

He was kept in the hospital for two more days to make sure the concussion had not caused any serious lasting effects, but he recovered quickly and was more than ready to go back to his temporary home at Roy and Riza's house when the time came. A switch in the sleeping arrangement was made, with Winry trading places with Ed to give him the more comfortable sofa.

On the evening after he had been allowed to come home, Roy entered the living room and asked Winry if he could speak with her privately. Riza, who was helping the group decide where to go next if they finished their search of Central without finding the keyhole, flashed Roy a reassuring smile as he led Winry out onto the front porch. A gathering of stratocumulus clouds over the western horizon were streaked with orange, pink, yellow, and violet by the setting sun. Winry stood at the edge of the concrete porch and admired the colorful view, waiting for Roy to start the conversation.

"Miss Rockbell..." he said hesitantly, "I wanted to talk to you about your parents." Winry did not turn to look at him or visibly react at all, so, after a pause, he continued. "You know what happened as well as I do, I think. They were treating the enemy's wounded. They were ordered to stop, but refused, saying that it was their job to heal those in need, and it didn't matter whose side their patients were on. They directly disobeyed an command, and I was the one ordered to punish them. When you're in the military, especially in the middle of a war, you can't just ignore orders like that. I won't say I didn't have a choice. I could have refused to execute them. I could even have helped them escape, but then I would be a fugitive just like they were. Part of it was selfishness, yes. Who wants to be hunted down and executed? But it was also loyalty to my country. Causing trouble like that while there was already a crisis going on would have been detrimental to our chances of winning. You can't have the military fighting amongst ourselves and trying to win a war with someone else at the same time." He sighed. "If I could go back in time now, after meeting you and seeing how you were affected, I honestly don't know whether I would change my actions or not. I am not asking for forgiveness. In fact, I wouldn't want it. I certainly don't deserve it from you. What I want is to put everything between us out in the open so that maybe we can both move on... That's it, I guess."

Winry said nothing for a long moment. Roy was growing more and more uncomfortable, wondering if he had made a mistake, when she finally spoke. "I once told someone that I knew the man who had murdered my parents, and that he was not a bad person. They said that that only made it harder, because I could not just blindly hate you as would be most natural." Finally, she looked at him, and met his eyes directly. There was a fire burning in her own, but it was one of strength, not anger. "I won't ever forgive you, but I do understand. No one's perfect. I couldn't expect you to give up your own life and position for two people you didn't even know, who were interfering with something you believed in. You killed my mother and father, and that is something I will never forget, but you yourself, Roy Mustang, are a good person who I would prefer to have as a friend rather than an enemy. So everything between us is in the past. I won't hold a grudge." She held out her hand, allowing herself to smile, and he accepted the gesture. They shook hands under the final rays of the golden sun, and then rejoined their companions inside.

"Riza's kicking us out, Winry," Ed informed her with an ironic tone in his voice as she sat down beside him.

"Aww, I think it will be fun, Brother!" Al said, then let Riza explain what was going on to the two who had just joined the conversation.

"I am not kicking them out, I merely suggested that they take a vacation of sorts. They've been working so hard, they certainly they deserve one. I was telling them about that nice hotspring resort we were planning to visit on our honeymoon, Roy," she said with a mischievous smile. "It's only half a day's ride by train from here, and it even allows pets. I think it would do all of them some good to get a few days of rest, especially after what happened to Ed. And, if you really want to," she addressed the group, "you can check the place for that keyhole. It is a natural hotspring. Who knows? You might get lucky. Meanwhile, Roy and I can enjoy a bit peace and quiet by ourselves for a little while." She grinned like a cat with a stolen bottle of milk, very pleased with her plan. "Actually, you could finish up your search here, and _then_ go to the hotspring, and rest there until you choose your next destination. How does that sound?"

"Ha! I knew it! You _are_ kicking us out!" Ed crowed, but he did not seem particularly upset about it. In fact, he was grinning too. He leaned back against the couch, his right hand behind his head. His left arm was in a sling. "What do you think, Winry? Should we give the lovebirds their house back?"

She giggled, pleased to see Ed in such a playful mood. "Oh, why not. But I think Riza's idea of going after we finish up here is a good one. Hey Sora, how long will it take to finish here, anyway?"

"Actually," the spiky-haired boy answered, "We should be able to finish by tomorrow or the next day! There are really only a couple places left in this city that we haven't checked, right Riku?"

"Yeah. I'd say we'll be finished in two more days."

"Great!" Winry cheered. "Then the hotspring it is!"

-

That night, Edward lay awake once again, thinking. What could Envy's presence mean? Why now, after three years? If he had been in the other world, he probably would have shown himself sooner. Had he just been biding his time in this world until Ed and Al came back? Talk about holding a grudge...

"Oof." Something landed on Ed's stomach, making him flinch. He still had a bruise there from the fight with Envy. He felt the weight on him shift and balance into four small points of pressure - the paws of a cat. The cat padded forward and crouched on his chest, just like it had done that first night. Ed placed his auto-mail fingertips on the feline's head and rubbed gently. It was a truly altruistic action, as he could not feel that creature's soft fur. "I guess I owe you one, cat," he whispered, think about what Winry had told him. He had heard stories about ordinary animals saving the lives of their masters, but had not expected to actually experience it. "Sorry for not trusting you."

Lucifer purred quietly and turned his head up to lick the cold metal fingers, then rubbed his whiskery cheek against the hand affectionately and proceeded to curl up on Edwards chest as if it was his right. Ed sighed and let the cat have his way. At least he was small and light, and was staying off of Ed's broken arm, though Ed was not sure if that was a conscious decision by the cat, or just chance. Oh, well. As long as it stayed that way, Ed wouldn't complain.

-

As expected, the search of Central was completed without success. The group had spent a full month with Roy and Riza, so packing up and leaving felt a little weird. Edward and Alphonse were used to traveling, though, and Noah had been a nomadic gypsy all her life. Sora and Riku had not often stopped in one place for so long during their previous adventures, but adapting was not hard.

The couple waved goodbye as the train pulled out of the station and began to pick up speed. Then Roy wrapped his arm loosely around Riza's shoulders and smiled at her. "Well, they're finally gone."

"Don't act like you're free of them yet," Riza joked. "Those boys and their friends will be back before you know it, pretending they've got everything under control but asking for help at the same time, as usual." Riza had really missed the Elric brothers during their absence. She was a naturally protective person person, and not just over Roy.

"In that case, we had better enjoy the privacy while we have it," Roy said slyly, and the two returned to their now much emptier home, Black Hayate following at their heels.


	6. Vacation

Chapter 6

Author's note/rant: This chapter contains scenes that demonstrate the Elric brothers' relationship. I wrote it this way not only because I have a strange obsession with writing about brothers, but also as a challenge to those fans who support Elricest... which I don't. Two people can love each other without having a sexual relationship! Especially if their siblings! Do you want to see me do it with _my _little brother! Well, I don't! It's the same with Ed and Al. They love each other and are totally devoted to each other, but that doesn't mean they have to have sex! RAAAARRRRGH!

We now return to your irregularly scheduled fanfic. Thank you.

-

Winry and Noah claimed the window seats of their section of the car, with Al in the middle next to Winry, Ed next to him, and Sora and Riku on the other side facing them. Lucifer sat on Al's lap. The cat was proving to be a very good pet for traveling, always sitting or lying patiently in his master's lap. Al kept the cat calm by stroking his soft gray fur methodically. Ed was actually rather ashamed of disliking the animal for no good reason when he had first shown up.

Alphonse rested his head with care on Edward's right shoulder. Ed's shirt and jacket provided a thin cushioning over the cold metal. It was a familiar, comforting position for the pair since their reunion. They would sit back to back or side by side, as long as they had physical contact. It was like a special sort of bonding ritual for Al, who for years had not been able to feel his brother no matter how close they were. Edward was the most important person in Al's life. When they were separated, neither knowing if the other still lived, Alphonse had grown his hair long and taken to dressing like Ed just to keep a part of his precious brother with him. What they shared was the purest form of love, and neither one could imagine life without the other.

"How is your arm, Brother?"

"It's a little sore, but not too bad." Al had asked the same question that morning, and was bound to ask it again over the course of the day, but Ed did not mind. Though sometimes _he_ felt like the younger brother, with Al looking out for him all the time. "Breaking an arm is nothing like losing an arm, or a leg." Ed grinned to soften the otherwise sensitive comment and reassure his brother.

Noah smiled at them. "You two are always inspiring to watch, you know? I've never seen siblings as close as you two are. Witnessing such love and devotion gives me hope."

Ed flushed, but Al smiled like the happy cat sitting in his lap. "It's because we've been together forever. Sometimes, during our search for the Philosopher's Stone, the only support we had was each other. Even when we were worlds apart, we never stopped thinking about each other. We are not just brothers and friends, we're partners."

"I think I'm almost jealous," Winry said, smiling fondly at her best friends. "I wish _I_ could be that close to Ed!"

Edward blushed furiously while Noah and Sora laughed, and the rest smiled.

"Hey Brother, you know who we haven't seen since we got back?" Al asked. "Rose!"

"Hey, you're right!" Maybe we should check out Lior at some point. For some reason it doesn't strike me as a likely place for the keyhole, but we could see Rose1, and she might even be able to help us."

"She's not in Lior anymore, remember?" Al said. "She decided to raise her child in Dublith."

"Even better! We can see Mason and Sig while we're there... and I can visit Teacher's grave." The last part was said more quietly. Edward had been very grieved to hear from Alphonse that their alchemy teacher, Izumi Curtis, had passed away. She had been ill for years, even before the brothers first met her and became her apprentices. Because she had survived for so long, Ed had not really thought that her life was in danger, but she had finally succumbed to her unique illness while Ed was trapped in the other world. He wished that he had been there for her, but at least Alphonse had.

"Brother... I don't know if I ever told you this, but three years ago when Wrath sacrificed himself so that I could destroy Gluttony, and the Gate opened, I saw Teacher inside. Wrath's spirit went to her and they disappeared together... I just thought you should know."

Edward looked at his younger brother, eyes wide and mouth open slightly, then he showed a faint smile. "Thank you, Al. That makes me feel better. I don't know whether Wrath had any memories of being Teacher's child or not, but in the end it didn't matter. I still wish they were both alive, but at least they could be together."

"That's right," Al agreed. "It's no use being upset over their death, because death is just another part of life. Remember the first lesson Teacher gave to us?"

"Ha. How could I forget? A month trying and almost failing to survive on an uninhabited island is not something that slips ones mind so easily." Ed's smile grew. "That first lesson was one of the most important we learned."

While the others listened to the brothers' quiet conversation in wonder, Al mused, "all is one and one is all."

"What does that mean?" Sora asked curiously.

"All is the world and one is me," answered Edward, then explained further. "Each of us is just a tiny, insignificant part of the world. When we die, the world will go on as if nothing happened, but at the same time, we will continue to influence it. Our bodies will decompose, giving nutrients to the earth where we fall or are buried. That nutrients will allow grass and other plants to grow there, which will feed herbivorous animals, which in turn will feed carnivores. Then those carnivores will die and the cycle will start over again. One is all and all is one. The world is me and I am the world. The circle of life is the ultimate law of the universe, and it cannot be reversed by mortal hands."

"That's why," Al said, "we can't wish for our teacher or anyone else who had died to come back to life. We can only accept it as the law of the universe and move on."

"You are very wise," Riku commented.

The Full Metal Alchemist shrugged his shoulders. "If that's the case, our wisdom came at a high price. We learned that lesson the hard way. By experience, that is."

Riku raised an eyebrow. There was something in Edward's eyes as he spoke, and Al's as well. A solidity, a strength, and a somehow fearful seriousness that seemed to beg all those caught in the gaze to heed their words.

"By now you must have noticed that I'm... not all together here." He tapped his left knee with the knuckles of his right hand, and the sound of metal on metal echoed even through the cloth. "I appreciate that you have not inconsiderately asked me why, so now I will tell you." He turned his stare on Sora and Noah as well, his voice hard and serious "Alphonse and I have been orphans since we were small children. Our father left us, and not long after, our mother fell ill and died. At that time, we had already begun to study alchemy, and so we decided to practice until we were skilled enough to bring Mom back. We knew that human transmutation was forbidden, but we did not know why. We planned to gather the individual elements that make up the human body..." he paused to let Al recite the list of elements that they had both memorized so well, then continued, "and create a new body for our mother through alchemy."

"That's why we asked Izumi to be our teacher," Al added in, and Ed nodded.

"Teacher warned us time and time again to never attempt human transmutation. Even if she had told us why, I doubt we would have listened." He sighed. "Despite all our preparation, our attempt failed. There was a rebound that took my leg and Al's entire body, and the creature we created was not our mother. It was a monster... an abomination. And that is how we learned the law of the universe."

Sora blinked. "Wait, if Al's body was lost, why is he here now?" He also wanted to ask about Ed's arm, but did not want to be rude.

But Edward waved him away, leaning against his brother and the back rest tiredly. "Ask me later. Telling that story always wears me out."

Al looked at his brother worriedly, but Ed gave him a small smile. "Can we talk about something fun now? I though this was supposed to be a vacation."

"Hey, Ed!" Winry said quickly, thinking of a subject to volunteer. "Tell me more about those rockets you were studying in the other world. That sounded really interesting!"

Edward livened up immediately and went into a detailed, scientific description of everything he had learned on the subject. The alchemist and the mechanic really had something in common when it came to their fascination with science.

-

"Well, this is fancy," Riku commented upon entering the hotspring resort. The main building stood in an L shape, with the hotsprings, garden, and outdoor benches and tables placed inside the half-rectangle created by it. The architecture suggested an eastern style, with tall roofs that came to a steep peak at the top, but curved elegantly down to level out at the edges. The roof, door, and window frames were painted a rich crimson, while the rest of the building was pale gray. Trees had been planted in an aesthetically pleasing arrangement around the establishment. The inside of the structure was mostly taken up by rooms for rent, but there was also a gift shop and a common room for eating meals and socializing. "I bet it's expensive."

"Don't worry," said Edward, "I should still have a decent amount of money left over from when I was a State Alchemist. Let's check in and find our rooms."

The man at the desk greeted them politely, and, when they did not act like they were in a hurry, he flirted with Noah.

"Um, thank you," the gypsy mumbled shyly while Ed retrieved the keys, chuckling. They ended up renting three rooms - one for the girls, one for the brothers, and one for Sora and Riku.

"Hey Edward," Winry asked as they strolled down the hall, "now that you're back, what are you going to do?"

"What do you mean, Winry?"

"I mean what are you going to do for money. You earned a good salary when you were a State Alchemist. Do you think you'll go back to something like that?" She kept her tone and expression neutral, but Ed had a feeling that she was against such a plan.

Luckily, so was he. "Tch, and be a dog of the military again? I'm not that desperate!" He paused then, thinking. "But you're right. I guess I need to figure out what I am going to do with my life once this keyhole stuff is over. It wouldn't be such a big deal if I was still just fifteen years old, but I'm not. Huh... I guess I never thought about it."

"You had money when you were in my world," Noah pointed out. "What did you do to earn it?"

"Well, I did take a few odd jobs, but most of that money came from my father."

"You're going to stay in Rizenbool, right?" Winry asked hopefully. "I'm sure you can find a job there. You could even help me make auto-mail. You made prosthetics for yourself in the other world, didn't you?"

"Well, yeah, but they weren't nearly as good as your auto-mail."

"Oh, you just didn't have the right tools and materials. I can teach you everything you need to know! You could be almost as good as I am someday!" she said with a wink.

"Haha! Whatever you say, Winry. What do you think, Al? Interested in going into the auto-mail business?"

Al smiled uncertainly. "Uh, sure."

"Don't worry, Al," Winry told him. "You're a year younger than Ed, so you can have another year to decide."

Edward made an amusingly outraged face. "Hey, that's not fair! He's nineteen years old! I think that counts as being an adult!"

"His body's only seventeen years old, but he is certainly more mature," Winry commented, then added mischievously, "and you know? I think he's taller, too."

"What! Why you...!" Ed growled while Sora and Riku tried not to laugh, and Al politely requested that they not talk about him as if he wasn't there.

"Here are our rooms, everyone," Noah called in a sing-song voice as if nothing was happening. The group divided up to investigate each of their small but well-furnished rooms, Ed grumbling unhappily and lagging behind Al.

"Wow, Brother. There's even a litter box in the bathroom for Lucifer!" Al exclaimed, showing his cat the location of its potty before letting it explore the room freely.

"You better keep it cleaned," Ed told him, still annoyed.

"Of course I will." Al returned to the main section of the room to see Ed sitting on the edge of the twin-sized bed, sulking. "Oh, Brother, don't be so gloomy. You're supposed to be enjoying yourself! Besides, I'm not taller than you. We're the same height."

"Hmph. Tell Winry that."

Instead of responding vocally right away, Al stepped in front of his brother and put his hands on his hips. He glared at Ed until the elder brother looked up at him. "Edward, _I_ want to have fun on this vacation too, but your attitude is making that difficult. Winry did not mean any harm you're just too sensitive. Now, I understand if you're still worried about Envy coming back, but you can't do anything about it until he shows his girly-looking, palm tree-headed self, so being all serious and fretting about it all the time is useless."

Ed stared at his brother, surprised by the force of his speech, despite the fact that Al's uncharacteristically commanding aura was damaged a bit by Lucifer, who chose that point to pounce on his master's feet. Both of them ignored the cat, and, after a moment, Ed sighed and hung his head. "Sorry, Al. I guess I am being kind of silly about it all. I never meant to make you unhappy."

"Al smiled brightly. "It's okay. You're forgiven. Come on, give me your coat so I can hang it in the closet, and then we'll go see what the others are up to." He had already put up his own coat, and helped Ed with his so that he wouldn't hurt his arm. On a second thought, Ed also left behind his gloves. Auto-mail was pretty common in Amestris, especially after the war, so he was unlikely to get any rude despite his silvery right hand.

Sora and Riku had just dropped some of there things off and were now waiting in the hall. When the brother's came out, Sora waved them over. "Hey guys, we're going to go ahead and look for the keyhole now. Want to come with us?"

Ed considered it. "Why not? The girls will figure out where we've gone when they realize we're not in our rooms. Then afterwards, we can get some dinner. It sure would be nice if that keyhole, _is_ here."

"Right, let's check the actual hotspring first. That seems most likely," Riku said, and led the way without waiting for a response. He was unarmed, but Sora still carried his keyblade. Edward remembered then that the keyblade was the key to the world's heart, and it - not Sora himself - was what would guide them to the keyhole if it was nearby.

Beyond the sliding doors was a path of irregularly shaped but evenly spaced stepping stones that wound around the hotsprings and through the garden. There was a tall, wooden fence separating the womens' and mens' sides of the springs, but it was delicately designed so as not to detract from the elegance of the surroundings. Alphonse and Sora paused to admire the wide variety of flowers growing on either side of the path. "The girls will really like these," Al said. "Maybe there are some for sale in the gift shop. You should buy Winry some flowers, Brother."

"What? Why? If she wants them, she can buy them or ask me herself."

Riku laughed. "You don't get it, do you? Winry - or Noah, for that matter - would be happiest if you surprised her."

"If you buy flowers for Winry," said Al, "I'll buy some for Noah."

"Now w-wait just a minute!" Ed stuttered, turning pink. "We don't even know if they sell flowers! Let's get this search over with before we bother with anything like that!"

"Too bad Kairi's not here," Sora commented to Riku. "I bet she would love a bouquet of flowers. I guess it doesn't matter, though. I don't have any of this world's currency, anyway."

Riku had an odd, unreadable expression on his face, but said nothing. Later, after they had covered the whole area with no results, he subtly asked Edward if he could borrow a little money - just enough for a small bouquet.

-

Meanwhile, Winry and Noah - upon finding that the boys had gone off somewhere - made a bee line for the gift shop.

"Um, Winry?" Noah asked as casually as she could, after they had been browsing the shop's wares for several minutes. "What sort of things would Edward like?"

The blond girl peaked suspiciously around the display case she was examining. "Why do you want to know?"

Noah gulped and stared at the objects on the shelf next to her to avoid meeting Winry's stare. "N-no reason. Never mind. Forget I asked."

"Noah," Winry said seriously, not a about to let the gypsy get off that easily, "are you attracted to Edward?"

"Ack! What makes you say that?"

"Noah..."

"Er, well... yes."

"Great, Fine." Winry did not even bother to keep the annoyance out of her voice. "It doesn't matter anyway. There's nothing here that he would appreciate. He doesn't care much for useless trinkets."

"So... maybe a book on science or something?" Noah was intimidated, but it was too late to back down now.

"Yes, but this place doesn't sell anything like that." The two stared each other down silently for a moment, while the lady at the counter pretended not to notice the tension. There were many things that Winry could have said in defense of her position as the most likely to have a romantic relationship with Edward Elric, but then, Noah had her own arguments. A cat fight would solve nothing, and they both knew it. Yet at the same time, they could not let the heavy silence between them build forever.

"I thought you liked Al," Winry grumbled.

"That was Alphonse Heidrich, from the other world, and we were only friends," She said quietly, the image of Heidrich's untimely death coming unbidden to the front of her mind.

Luckily, a distraction presented itself in the form of Riku. "Hey," he said, startling them. They had not even heard him come in. "We didn't find the keyhole. The others are ordering dinner in the commons. They told me to find you and let you know." His aqua, cat-like eyes regarded them nonchalantly, revealing nothing of his inner thoughts, as usual.

Hesitantly, the girls thanked him and went out to catch up with Sora and the brothers. Riku took a bit longer to join them, for reasons of his own.

-

"All right, I'm starving!" Ed cheered as his meal was placed in front of him. "This looks great!"

"I wonder if they sell cat food here," Al mused.

"Probably, since they allow pets. You can ask after we eat." Without further adieu, Ed dug in with enthusiasm.

"How did you work up such an appetite?" Winry asked with a laugh. "We spent most of the day sitting still on a train!"

"I dunno," Ed answered through a mouth full of food. "Maybe I'm starting a final growth spurt. No one will ever call me short again!"

"Sorry, Brother, but I think you're too old to grow anymore."

"Shut up, Al. I can dream!"

"Edward, look around you," Noah told him, smiling. "No one here is taller than you by more than an inch. Sora and Winry are actually shorter than you now. You're not short at all; you just think you are. Winry was only teasing you earlier because she knows your weak spot."

Ed blinked at her, then carefully looked around the table. Everyone was sitting, so it it was hard to tell for sure, but it did look to him like Noah was right. Now that he thought about it, he had not had to actually look up at anyone to any dramatic degree in at least the last two years or so. Roy Mustang was taller than him, but only by a few inches, and Riza Hawkeye was about the same height as Ed now, if he recalled correctly. He was just so used to being short that he had started taking it for granted. He blinked again, then grinned rather maniacally. "I'm not short. Ha! Take that, everyone who has ever called me shrimp, bean, or midget! Hahaha!" He punched the air with his auto-mail hand, caught up in his own enthusiasm.

"Congratulations," Winry said in a dry, yet still humorous tone between bites of her own dinner, "but don't talk with your mouth full."

"Yes, Mother," Ed teased, making sure that there was still food in his mouth at the time.

In response, Winry jabbed her fork in his direction warningly.

"So, Brother," asked Al, "are we going to try out the hotspring after dinner?"

This time, Ed swallowed before answering, "of course. What would be the point of staying here if we don't use it?"

"Don't get your cast wet," Winry instructed, still playing mother, "and make sure to dry off well or you'll rust."

"I know, I know. I'm not a little kid. I won't start a splash fight with Al," he assured her with a wink. It had not slipped his notice that she and Noah both seemed to be blushing faintly, and Edward - who was not as oblivious as he sometimes acted - made an educated guess that the reason for their embarrassment was the images which the idea of himself naked in a hotspring could produce. He was not the type to say it out loud - at least, not in their presence - but he enjoyed the attention of the ladies.

-

Edward heaved a long, drawn out sigh of pleasure, concentrating on the feel of his muscles slowly relaxing and unknotting. He had his back to the rest of the pool, positioned with both arms folded on the rim, out of the water, and his chin resting on them. His eyes were closed, but he could sense Alphonse beside him, imitating his pose, but with head raised. Ed could hear the sound of his breath and feel the presence of his body, despite the few inches hot water between them and the wisps of steam rising around them, caressing their skin and hair.

Unlike Ed, Sora and Riku had made no promise of mature behavior to Winry, and they seemed to be taking advantage of it. Ed could tell their locations even easier than he could Al's. The splashing gave them away. They were considerate enough, however, to keep their little water battle to the opposite side of the spring so Ed would not be bothered.

Expanding his focus, he could make out the hum of womens' voices in soft conversation from the other side of the boundary. Though he could not catch any distinct words, the tone sounded too serious for small talk, and he wondered what Winry and Noah could be discussing with such solemnity. He was too calm and relaxed at the moment to work himself into his earlier state of vanity and entertain the thought that they might be talking about him.

Ironically, that was the truth.

"I'm sorry for losing my temper with you, but I'm not just going to hand him over without a fight," Winry said with quiet forcefulness.

"Winry," Noah looked flustered, "I never meant to start a competition with you."

"Have you ever heard the saying 'all is fair in love and war'?"

"Yes..."

"There's a reason the two are compared," Winry explained simply.

"Yes, but... I still don't want to be your enemy. I like you, Winry, and I'd rather we be friends. Besides," the dark woman looked away from her reflection in the water's surface and into the eyes of her rival in love, "what would Edward think of all this?"

"Do you want to be direct and ask him ourselves?" Winry suggested with complete seriousness.

"What! But..."

"Not ask him what he thinks of being fought over," Winry corrected. "I mean ask him which one of us he likes best."

"That won't work! He may not always show it, but he does have respect. He'll say he likes us both equally, just to keep from hurting our feelings."

To Noah's surprise, Winry laughed. "Good point. Well, do you have any suggestions?"

"Huh? Well, we could... we could talk to Alphonse. He knows Edward better than anyone."

The mechanic nodded. "Good idea. But Noah, what will you do if you find out that Ed likes me better?"

"I..." she trailed off.

"I know _I_ would try to win him back. You would do the same, right? You may seem mild and timid at first glance - compared to me, at least - but something tells me that you won't give up as easily as that."

"...Maybe."

There was an uncomfortable pause, then Winry smiled. "Well, let's worry about it when it happens. First we have to decide what we're going to say to Al." She held out her hand expectantly. "Truce?"

Noah's hand moved hesitantly. but its grip was firm, and she matched Winry's smile with her own. "Truce."

"Great, but let's deal with it tomorrow. I want to enjoy the hotspring tonight. Hmm, I wonder what the boys are doing..."

"Do you hear splashing?"

Winry glared at the fence. "That better not be Ed..."


	7. Alchemy

Chapter 7 - Alchemy

Author's note: Regarding what I said in my last note, I should warn you that I do not have the same reservations when it comes to Sora and Riku. Feel free to view their interaction in this chapter in whatever way you prefer, but it was mainly dedicated to my best friend, who has a very yaoiful mind...

"What's the score now, Riku?" asked a broadly grinning Sora while he vigorously rubbed his hair dry.

"Well, I won that one, so -"

"No you didn't! I definitely won! You're completely soaked!"

Their eyes were fierce, but they were both still grinning. "What are you talking about, Sora? You're just as soaked, and I got you good with that last 'tidal wave'. That was the tie-breaker, and I totally beat you."

"Hey, I never agreed to that!" Sora was getting dressed now, but Riku caught him in a headlock, making him drop the shirt he held.

"All right, take this!" he said, giving him a noogie.

"Argh! Riku! Lemme go!" the boy laughed, and Riku echoed it, releasing his friend and giving hima playful shove.

"All right, get your shirt on and let's go before the others break down the door and find us in a compromising position."

Sora blushed, as Riku had intended. "Wha-what's _that_ supposed to mean!"

Chuckling, Riku walked past him, pausing at the door of the changing room they were in and waving his hand dismissively. "Just teasing."

"Hey Riku," Sora said with a hint of honest laughter in his voice as he caught up with his companion. "Now aren't you glad you're not on the side of the Heartless anymore?"

Riku glared over his shoulder at the younger boy. "Hey now, that's playing dirty. Sheesh, haven't I repented for that enough without having to put up with your gloating, oh great Keyblade Master? Besides, you _know _I'm glad that we're friends again."

Sora smiled, no hint of condescension or teasing in his expression - just love. "I am too."

"Oh, Sora, I have a surprise for you." They were in their room now, Sora sitting on the bed while Riku dug through the things they had stashed in the closet. The silver-haired boy emerged with a bouquet of many-colored flowers held carefully in his hands, which he then solemnly presented to Sora.

"Huh? Why are you giving me flowers?" Sora asked in complete confusion, but accepted the bouquet.

"You wanted some, remember?" Riku sat down beside him and they admired the rainbow of silken petals and delicately trimmed leaves together. "I'm afraid they're fake. Real ones would wilt before you had a chance to get them back to Destiny Islands." Seeing that Sora was still in the dark, he added, "you _did_ say you wanted some flowers to give to Kairi, right?"

Sora's eyes lifted to his friend's face in sudden understanding. "Riku... you bought these just so _I_ could give them to Kairi? But what about you? Wouldn't you rather be the one to give them to her?"

"Kairi's not the one I wanted to give flowers to," Riku answered enigmatically, then crawled into bed, having already removed his shirt, shoes, and socks, and told Sora to be quiet so he could sleep.

Once again, Edward could not get to sleep. His arm was sore, and he simply could no find a comfortable position. Alphonse slept soundly beside him, sprawled out like a cat with a face as innocent as a child's. Ed was doing his best not to disturb his younger brother. For once, the cause of this insomnia had nothing to do with Lucifer. In fact, Al's pet was no where to be seen. Edward hoped that he was just hiding under the bed or in the closet, and had not slipped outside and gotten himself lost.

He spent another ten minutes trying to fall asleep, then gave up in weary annoyance and slipped out of bed. Stepping silently - quite a feat with a metal foot - he retrieved his red coat from the closet and draped it loosely around him before unlocking the door and moving out into the hall. Perhaps a walk would do him good. He would stay out of the hotsprings, or he would be risking the chance of dozing off in the hot water and drowning, but the garden was perfectly safe.

The hall was silent and dark, and it was all he could do not to walk straight into the wall. He made it to the exit without mishap... and froze just outside the door.

A disturbingly familiar silhouette perched on the edge of the hotspring, one leg dangling in the water while the other knee was bent and held close to his the chest. Long strands of hair fell lightly in all directions, and that was the most identifiable feature of the dark figure.

Snapping out of his brief moment of shock, Ed fell into a familiar fighting stance,

but his broken arm put him at a serious disadvantage. Ignoring Edward's aggression, Envy rose slowly and languidly to his feet, indulging in a feline stretch. To Ed's intense outrage, he even yawned before finally turning to face him and letting a slow, evil grin spread across his face. "Can't sleep, little brother?"

"What do you want this time?" the Alchemist growled. "Have you come back to kill me?"

"Sorry, no such luck," the humunculus said haughtily. "I just came to give you something to think about..."

As Envy slowly approached, step by step, Ed touched his right hand to his immobile left to complete his own version of a transmutation circle, but Envy rushed him before he could create a weapon and caught his metal wrist, twisting it back until something snapped. There was no real pain, but now both of Ed's hands were useless. Envy had made it impossible for him to defend or attack with his strongest weapon, alchemy...

So he kicked his attacker in the groin.

With his auto-mail.

Needless to say, Envy was not expecting this. "I ... should kill you... just for that," he gasped from where he had collapsed in a fetal position at Edward's feet, so Edward kicked him again, this time in the head. The humunculus had gone too far to deserve mercy. Ed did not condone beating someone when they were done, but this was an exception.

"Is this what you wanted me to think about?" Ed asked darkly, aiming the next kick at Envy's stomach. "That I can beat you without using my arms? Thanks, that almost makes up for what you did to me in Central."

"No!" Envy coughed, trying to block the brunt of Edward's kicks. To Ed's bewilderment. his eyes narrowed, meeting his opponents, and he grinned. "_This_ is!" He rolled away before Ed could stop him, then began to shapeshift, but not into another human as Edward had expected.

The alchemist froze mid-step, gaping at the creature that now crouch before him. It was just too much. He could scarcely believe what he was seeing, and yet so may little, seemingly insignificant things suddenly made perfect sense...

The creature that Envy had revealed himself to be was none other than Alphonse's pet cat, Lucifer. The animal bolted, slipping past Ed before he could react and dashing through the door. Edward whirled and reflexively tried to grab it, but of course his hand refused to move.

"Al!" he shouted, chasing the cat as it ran back towards their room. He remembered with horror that he had left the door partially open. "Al, wake up!" His momentum caused him to stumble, and he was barely able to catch himself awkwardly with his knees and right arm. He pushed himself back up and made it through the door just in time to see the tip of the cat's gray tail vanishing under the bed. "Alphonse!" Ed gasped, his whole body shaking.

"Mmm... Brother, what is it?" mumbled Al, sitting up half-way and rubbing his eyes. "I was having such a nice dream..."

"Al, get away from there! Envy's under the bed!"

The sleepy-eyed younger brother gave Ed a very skeptical look. "Aren't you too old to be afraid of monsters under the bed? You just had a bad dream. Go back to sleep."

Ed was getting frustrated. "Argh. No! Look at my hand!" He thrust his right arm forward, the broken hand hanging limp. "Envy attacked me out by the spring, then turned into Lucifer and ran under the bed! Your cat is a humunculus!" Only after he said it did he realize how unlikely it must sound to Al. _He _would probably not believe it if he hadn't been involved in the incident.

"You must have been sleep-walking," Al reasoned calmly. "I bet you tripped and broke your auto-mail in the fall." At that point, Lucifer emerged and hopped up onto the bed. Ed tensed, ready to attack again, but the cat ignored him and merely padded up to Al and rubbed against him, begging for petting. Al obliged with a small smile, then looked back at his brother. "See? How could Lucifer be Envy? He's just a normal cat. Besides, he saved you from Envy, remember?" He scratched the animal's ears, bringing forth contented purring. "Come back to bed. We'll ask Winry to fix your hand first thing in the morning. I'm pretty sure she brought her toolbox along, just in case."

Edward wanted to move; to rip that monster disguised as a cat away from his brother and make it show its true self, but his body and heart refused to obey him. Al held the little cat in his arms protectively, stroking its soft fur, and Ed could not bring himself to so violently destroy the scene of peace. Maybe Al was right. Edward had been suffering an unusual amount of nightmares lately, and he _was_ very tired. He had never actually sleep-walked before, but there was a first time for everything. Could he have simply dreamed up the presence of Envy?

Suddenly exhausted, he fell to his knees, causing Alphonse to rise from the bed and go to him in concern. Lucifer came down as well, and although Edward stiffened at his approach, the cat only sniffed his lifeless auto-mail hand and then licked it and head-butted it gently, probably wondering why it was not petting him.

"Brother, are you all right?" Al was kneeling in front of Ed, his hands on his brother's shoulders. He lifted one hand and pressed against Edward's forehead, then compared its temperature to his own. "I don't think you have a fever. Does your head hurt at all? Maybe you hit it when you fell. Your concussion still hasn't healed, you know."

Ed allowed his protective little brother help him up and onto the bed. The darkness of the room, the blurry nighttime atmosphere, and the slight dizziness that had come over him combined to make him doubt the reality of the fight with Envy even more, and he finally submitted to Alphonse's urging and managed at last to sleep.

"Winry?" started Sora. He, Winry, and Riku had woken up before the other three and were now sitting around one of the small, round tables in the common room, enjoying an immense stack of blueberry pancakes for breakfast.

"Yes?"

"Um, I didn't want to ask him personally, but... what happened to Edward's arm? He told us about his leg on the way here. Was it the same incident?"

Winry chewed thoughtfully on a bite of sweet pancake before replying. "Sort of. Do you know the saying 'I'd give my right arm for you?' To put it bluntly, Edward took that literally. I don't feel comfortable going into detail without his permission, but basically he traded his arm for his brother's soul."

"Wow... They really do care about each other."

But Winry looked past him instead of continuing the conversation. "Oh, speak of the devil. Hey, Ed! Al! Good morning!"

"Good morning, Winry," Al said, somehow making his voice sound cheerful yet serious. "We need your help. Brother fell and broke his auto-mail. Can you fix it?"

Winry stood up and met them half-way, taking Ed's right arm and examining the wrist. "Geez, you really messed this thing up! Stay here and I'll go get my tools. I'd let you come to my room, but Noah's still asleep." She pushed him in the direction of the chair she had just vacated. "Al, you can have one of my pancakes if you want. I'd offer _you_ one, Ed, but Al would have to hand-feed it to you," she said with a giggle before whisking away down the hall.

Alphonse dragged another chair to their table and happily took up Winry's offer, but frowned when he noticed his brother's subdued expression. "Brother, do you still not feel well?"

"No..." Ed shook his head. "It's just... I'm worried about what happened last night. Even if that was just a nightmare, it's still likely that Envy will come back again. He really has it in for me. I know that sounds paranoid, but he's said it himself."

"Wait... What's this about Envy and last night?" Riku asked suspiciously.

Edward met the other's narrow aqua eyes as he spoke. "I fought with Envy last night, out by the hotspring. I remember him breaking my right wrist, then transforming into Al's cat, but Al says it was just a bad dream, and I have half a mind to think so, too."

"I'm not so sure about that," Riku stated, then explained why. "Last night, something woke me up about half an hour past midnight. I heard a noise from outside and went to check it out, in case it was a Heartless or something. I saw a figure standing in the garden that _looked_ like a slender person with dark hair that sort of flowed out in long spikes, but then the figure seemed to just disappear. I tried to search the garden, but it was too dark to find anything." He gave Edward a curious look, waiting for his reaction.

"Damn... That definitely sounds like Envy. What you saw as disappearing could have been him shapeshifting into Lucifer..." Ed bit his lip worriedly. "Al, is Lucifer locked in our room?"

"Yes, but he can't be Envy!" Al said with alarm, fretting over his beloved pet. "Why would he be so friendly if he was?"

"What's this about Envy?" Winry asked as she rejoined them, kneeling next to Edward and retrieving his auto-mail arm with one hand while she fished around in her toolbox with the other. She listened to Ed explain the happenings of the previous night one more time while she expertly adjusted, removed, replaced, and tweaked the damaged parts of his wrist.

Sora commented before Winry could. "You know, it might not be Lucifer _or _Envy. Riku's mention of Heartless got me thinking... it's rare, but some of the more powerful Heartless can take on human shape. One time, I fought a Heartless that acted like a shadow, able to flatten itself and move through the shadows on the ground, but it looked just like me. Maybe there's one that looks like Envy. It was dark, so you could have mistaken a fast-moving shadow on the floor for a cat, don't you think?"

"Can Heartless speak? Because whatever it was that I saw last night and in Central spoke and acted exactly like the Envy I remember."

"Well, um..." Sora faltered. "Not that I know of, but there are a lot of different Heartless. Maybe some can. There were Heartless in that alley in Central. We barely got there in time to save you from them."

Edward looked surprised, and then his expression grew even more intense as something that had been nagging at the back of his mind for some time finally came forward. "There were Heartless in the alley, after my fight with Envy, or whatever it was? Why didn't anyone tell me that sooner?"

The others looked surprised by his sudden alertness. "Well... I guess we didn't think it was that important... or we thought you had known. It's not like Heartless attacks are that unusual right now..."

"No, it's not... and I think I might know why." Winry let go of his hand at that point, and he flexed it experimentally, nodding in satisfaction. "Thanks, Winry. Now, would you mind calling Central Headquarters and asking them to check the records and see if any alchemy was used directly before and in the same area as each Heartless attack? You should probably wake Noah up, too. Sora, Riku, you two go fetch your keyblades and meet me outside. We're going to perform a little test..." He did not actually grin in determination, but the others still got that impression. Regarding the no-nonsense tone in his voice, they swallowed their curiosity and did as told. Even though Sora was the one who could find the keyhole, Edward had taken over the role of 'leader', as was usual for him.

"Brother, what do you think...?" Al trailed off.

Now Edward did smile. "Let's go, Al."

When Sora and Riku caught up with the brothers, Edward was standing several paces out from the doorway with his back to them, while Alphonse was leaning against the wall, watching with patient wonder. As soon as the Fullmetal Alchemist heard Sora that Riku's footsteps come to a halt, he clapped his right hand to his left and drew them apart again, transforming his auto-mail into the armblade that had become a sort of trade mark weapon for him. When nothing happened immediately, he repeated the motion,this time creating a spear from the ground and tossing it to Alphonse. Then he waited, something about his determined stance and attitude discouraging the others from speaking.

A minute passed, and then another. Riku stood stoically, but Sora and even Al were starting to fidget. When the first shadow appeared, however, everyone became instantly focused. Edward slashed the little monster in half, turning on the next one even as the first faded into nothingness. As more Heartless appeared, the others joined the fight. Against all four, the Heartless were no match, or so they thought.

Though Alphonse had spent many an hour sparring with his brother, much of that time had been while he was an animated suit of armor. Out of the four of them, he was the least used to fighting in his current body. When two shadows and one of the more powerful, armored Heartless surrounded him, he found himself in more trouble than he had expected. He took out one shadow with a blow from his stone spear, but the other used that as a chance to come in close and give him a good scratch with its claws. The wound was not deep, but it surprised him and set him off balance. The third Heartless rushed him, causing him to stumble as he attempted to ward it off and counter-attack the remaining shadow at the same time. He fell, and the spear slipped out of his grip and clattered across the ground, stopping out of reach. Edward finished off the last of his own opponents and turn just in time to see the armored Heartless looming like some sort of nightmare's ghoul over Alphonse, reaching for him with long, dagger-like claws as if to pluck out his heart, which, in a way, was exactly what it intended. Al's eyes grew wide with fear, and he tried to scramble backwards, only to find himself pinned against the wall. Edward made it three steps closer, but he was on the opposite side of their make-shift battleground in the clear area between the hotspring and the garden, and he knew he couldn't make it in time. A sharp horror came over him as he saw how his own careless actions had so endangered his brother.

Suddenly, a shiny metal object came spinning through the air from the doorway and conked the armored Heartless on the head, while at the same time, a small gray form streaked across the yard and tackled the shadow. Al rolled, coming to his feet with spear in hand and taking down the stunned Heartless, then watching as Lucifer - a hissing ball of gray fuzz, teeth, and claws - tore the shadow to shreds.

Ed made it to his brother then and, seeing that Sora and Riku had finished off the last of the Heartless, restored his auto-mail to its original form and placed his hand on Alphonse's shoulder. "Al, are you all right!"

Al nodded his head quickly, though Edward noticed that he had one hand pressed to the bleeding scratch on his side. Lucifer, after making sure that there was no trace left of his pray, trotted to his master and rubbed against his legs, as if asking in his own way if Al was truly all right. Alphonse reached down to scratch the cat's head lovingly. "Thanks, Lucifer. You saved me."

"Hey, don't forget about me!" Winry complained as she retrieved the wrench that she had thrown at the Heartless.

Al smiled. "Thank you, Winry. It's nice to know that that wrench works as well on real enemies as it does on my brother," he added teasingly.

The girl scowled, but ruffled his hair as she passed him. "Just be more careful next time, okay?"

"I'm so sorry," Edward said, startling Al and Winry with the desperation in his voice. "Al, you could have lost your heart, and it was all my fault... I'm the one who should have been more careful."

Alphonse blinked at him, and smiled sheepishly at patted him on the shoulder with his un-bloodied hand, so that they stood mirroring each other. "Don't worry about it so much, Brother. We've been in sticky situations like that countless times. I'm fine, so it's no big deal."

"But you're not fine! You're hurt!"

Al shrugged casually, and it was noticed by the others that right then, he looked like the older and more experienced brother. "This is nothing - just a little cut. You're the one with a broken arm, remember?" He winked. "Honestly, Brother, I can handle a little pain as well as you can. You worry too much."

Finally convinced that Al was out of immediate danger, Edward let himself relax. "Yeah, well, so do you."

"Heheh, yeah. I guess that makes us even." The brothers smiled at each other, bright and dark golden eyes meeting, and then they laughed.

"Well, now that that little ordeal is over, may I make my report?" Winry asked.

Ed faced her and nodded. "Go ahead."

"I talked to Roy. He said that he found records of alchemical use just before all but one of the attacks, but that probably just means to was an amateur practicing or someone doing something with alchemy that they did not deem important enough to make note of."

"Edward, does this mean the Heartless attracted to alchemy?" asked Noah from the doorway.

"I think at this point it's safe to say so," he replied.

"Would you say that your society - perhaps even your world - revolves around alchemy?" asked Riku, catching on.

Edward grinned. "I would."

Finally the rest started to figure out what was going on. "Hey..." Al said, "didn't you say that the Heartless would be attracted to the world's heart, Sora?"

"That's right, and so far, instead of gathering at one specific place, they've been gathering wherever alchemy is used. Edward...?"

The Full Metal Alchemist nodded. "All in one, one is all. That is the law of the world. Alchemy is the ability to understand and control the law of the world; to decompose and recreate. It could be called the key of this world, but that's just slightly off..." He let Sora finish.

"Alchemy is not the key. It's the keyhole."

"All right!" Edward cheered and clapped his hands together, while the others grinned victoriously. He knelt, placing his right hand flat on the short-cropped grass and the earth below it. Sparks and bolts of blue alchemical energy coursed away from his hand like ripples in water. Then brighter, more solid lines appeared, forming the shape of a giant keyhole. Sora stepped forward now, and swung his keyblade high, sending a bolt of glittering power shooting into the air to burst like a firework over their heads and rain down into the keyhole. The entire thing glowed with blinding white light, then faded and vanished with the resounding click of a lock. Everyone stayed silent for a moment, reflecting over the fact that they had just glimpsed into the very heart of a world.

Slowly, Edward stood up and brushed himself off. "This means our world is safe from the Heartless now, right?" he asked Sora.

"That's right. They'll all leave pretty soon." The keyblade master sheathed his weapon and grinned. "Well, that could have been a lot worse. The Heartless aren't a threat anymore, but we're not quite finished. Riku and I still need to find the next Door, right Riku?"

"I would like to get home sometime this year, yes," Riku answered with playful sarcasm.

"Don't worry," Edward assured them. "You helped save our world, so helping you get back to yours is the least we can do. We'll stick with you until you find that door."

"Why don't you all come inside, for now?" Noah suggested, glancing at Alphonse, who was still holding his side and looking a little pained. "We did bring first aid supplies on this journey, right?"

"I have a first aid kit in our room that Riza gave me before we left," confirmed Winry. "Al, why don't you come with Noah and I and we'll see what we can do about that scratch. The rest of you can figure out what to do next while you wait for us."

Al picked up Lucifer and followed the girls obediently, while Edward led Sora and Riku to _his_ room to see if he had remembered to bring a map.

"So, Al..." Winry started when they were out of the others group's hearing range, "Noah and I have a question for you, but we need you to promise not to tell Ed."

"Huh? What does my brother have to do with this?" He narrowed his eyes and asked in the voice of a suspicious child, "What are you two plotting?"

Winry gulped, but Noah kept up an appearance of innocence. "We're not plotting anything. There's just something that we need to know." She didn't say anything else, only waited patiently for Alphonse's promise. Winry led Al into their room and made him put down Lucifer and sit on the bed while she dug out the medical kit.

"Fine... I promise I won't tell Brother about whatever it is you're going to ask me," he finally agreed.

"Great!" Winry said cheerfully, returning to his side and laying the open box next him, but swatting his fingers away when he tried to reach straight for a bandage. "Nu-uh. Gotta clean the wound first."

"Aww, but it will sting!"

"Don't be such a crybaby! I thought you told Ed that it was nothing. It will hurt a lot worse if it gets infected, so sit down and shut up."

Al made a noise of protest, but still obeyed Winry's command. "So what was it you wanted to know?" he asked sulkily as Winry made him take off his shirt so she could get to the wound more easily.

"Who does Edward like better? Me or Noah?"

"What? Winry, what's that all abou-ow! Owww, that hurts!" Alphonse flinched, but forced himself to keep his hands off the cut while Winry tended it.

"Answer the question, please."

"Geez, you two are mean."

"Hey, don't include me," Noah said. "It was Winry's idea. Still, I would like to know, too."

Al sighed as Winry finished cleaning off the blood and unrolled a bandage. "I don't even know for sure which one of you he likes best. I mean, when we were kids, we had a fight over which one of us would marry Winry, but that was ages ago. He doesn't actually talk much about his feelings for either of you. I don't think even he knows for sure what those feelings are." To be honest, Al was a little annoyed that the girls had the nerve to ask him such a question. Was Edward really that much more attractive than him? _He _didn't think so. There he was, shirtless on their bed and everything, and they were too focused on his brother to pay attention to him. He just did not understand girls.

"Well, that puts us back on square one," Winry commented, fishing a small clip out of the first aid kit and using it to secure the bandage that she had wrapped around Al's waist to cover the cuts on his side.

"If you want to know so bad, then ask him yourself. Then again, he'd probably just say he likes you both equally..."

"Yeah, that's exactly why we didn't try asking him."

"Well..." Al chewed on his lip thoughtfully. "I guess I could ask him for you, though he might be annoyed at me for it, but... who knows."

Winry clasped her hands together and gave him her cutest smile. "Oh, would you, please? That would help us so much!"

"Um... I guess so," he said meekly.

"Thank you. You're all patch up, so let's go see what they others are planning."

Al retrieved Lucifer from Noah, who had been keeping the cat busy, and followed Winry out of the room with a sigh.

"Hey Al," Edward called as his brother and the girls rejoined the rest of the group. "Ready to go home?"

"Huh? But I thought -"

"Sora suddenly got the feeling that we need to go back to Rizenbool," Ed explained before Alphonse could finish. "He's the one who can sense those Gates or Doors or whatever, so I think it's best to trust that feeling."

"Ah! Okay! It would be kind of ironic if the Door they need was there all along, though, wouldn't it? They could have found it without ever meeting us. _Then _where would we be?"

"I don't know," Sora mused. "I know I didn't sense it before. When you guys told us about the Door you came through to get back to this world, you said it vanished right afterwards, correct? I've seen the same thing happen. I think the Doors only appear when they're needed, like maybe the worlds themselves know. I know that sounds weird, but -"

"But I've heard weirder," Edward finished. "That makes sense, though I'm still not sure if those Doors are the same as the Gate or not. Both are portals to other worlds, but the Gate's much more dangerous, like an untamed version of the Doors. That's only a guess, though."

"Well, whatever the case, when's the next train to Rizenbool?" Winry asked merrily.

"Actually that's what I was just checking when you came in," commented Edward, looking back down at the train schedule he had found. "It looks like there's one leaving at ten o'clock tomorrow morning that will take us to East City, and from there we can switch to one going to Rizenbool. I hope no one minds waiting one more day."

"Hey, it's one more day that we can spend here," the mechanic pointed out. "We should have a party to celebrate."

"You're certainly in a good mood," commented Edward, smiling at her.

"Well, we've almost completed this journey, and other than what happened in Central, no one's gotten seriously hurt and now we're all together and safe. Compared to the last big adventure of yours that I was involved in, that's pretty good!"

"Heheh, I guess you're right. Let's hope our luck holds until the end."


	8. Restoration

Chapter 8

"Brother, can I talk to you?" Alphonse asked as soon as he had a moment alone with Edward.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, it's not that..."

"Well, what is it?" Ed was already growing a little impatient. Why was Al hesitating? He should know that, as close as they were, he could say _anything_ to Edward and he would listen. That's what Ed thought, anyway.

"Um... do you like Winry or Noah better?" he blurted, unable to come up with a less blunt way to put it. He fidgeted under Edward's long stare.

"... All right, which one of them put you up to this?"

"Both..." Al mumbled, seeming to suddenly find the floor very interesting.

Edward let out an exasperated sigh. "Are they fighting over me, or something? Oh, for crying out loud..." He plopped down onto the nearest wooden chair. The two were in a fairly secluded corner of the common room, while the rest of the group had gone for a walk in the garden. "How immature." His eyes drifted around the room as he considered this latest problem. "I guess I have no choice. Al, tell them not to fight and that I will talk to each of them separately and settle this."

"Sorry, Brother..."

Ed waved a dismissive hand. "Don't worry about it. It's probably my fault for leading them both on, even if I didn't fully realize what I was doing."

"Brother..." Al gave him an odd smile. "You've become a lot more mature."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean? Are you saying I wasn't mature before? That I was a tiny, childish bean, too small to step on or even see without a microscope?" Instead of using his usual face of furious doom, Ed was smiling. "You're probably right."

Al grinned and rubbed the back of his head. "So Brother... which one _do_ you like best?"

Edward's reaction to the question was mixed, but finally he just waved a metal finger at his brother and winked. "That's a secret."

"But Brother...!"

"No buts. If I tell you anything, those girls will find a way to get it out of you. They're as slippery as your cat."

"Aww, stop picking on Lucifer all the time!"

Ed just chuckled. "Come on, let's go see what the others are up to."

-

Sora, Riku, Winry and Noah returned to the hotspring that afternoon, but the brothers stayed out of it due to their injuries. Alphonse sat on the edge of the pool, chatting with the other-worlders. Edward, on the other hand, felt the need to take a nap. To his pleasure, sleep came over him swiftly, but he was awakened again within a matter of minutes.

"Little Brother..." a darkly sing-song voice whispered. "Wake up, Little Brother..."

Edward jolted up, but a hand clapped over his mouth before he could shout. He stared at Envy with wide eyes filled with fear and anger. He tried to lash out, but Envy caught his arm and forced it back down. "Now, now, Edward, you're so violent! If you promise not to fight me, I might let you go."

In response, Edward bit his hand, but the humunculus just shot him a dull look. "I though _I_ was the animal here. Speaking of which," his expression changed to one of wicked amusement, "our mutual little brother is terribly gullible, isn't he? You know that even if you tell him about this - which you will - he won't believe that is precious little Lucifer is his enemy in disguise. At least, not until I kill him. I'll make sure to let you watch, just like he watched you die five years ago. Maybe you'll try to save him. Wouldn't it be ironic if the same thing were to happen all over again, but with you two switching places? In fact, let's begin the drama right now." With that, he released Edward and shapeshifted back into Lucifer, dashing out of the room.

-

Alphonse was just wondering if he should check on his brother when Lucifer darted out and leaped into his arms, shivering and mewing pitifully. Before Al could register exactly what was happening, Edward came storming towards him and ripped the cat out of his arms, throwing it down hard on the ground. Alphonse screamed and grabbed onto Ed, holding him back. "What are you doing!"

"Let go, Al! That's Envy! He's fooling you!" Edward tried to break free, but found with some surprise that Alphonse was stronger than he had thought. Lucifer, of course, cowered where he had fallen, the very image of abused innocence.

"No, don't hurt him!" There were tears in Al's eyes. Edward could feel them falling on his shoulder, but still he fought to reach the shapeshifted humunculus. It was hard to do anything that made his brother cry. He had to keep telling himself that it was to protect him, even if Al did not realize that.

Sora and Riku were just getting over their shock and moving to try to stop the fight, but before they could reach it, Edward grabbed the hand clinging to his shoulder and threw his arm and the upper part of his body forward, flipping Alphonse over onto his back. Before his brother could recover, he went after Lucifer, but the cat scrambled out of reach and made a run for it. Desperate not to let him escape, Edward made an alchemical wall shoot out of the ground in front of him, but Lucifer seemed to grow in size until he was big enough to jump over the wall. Then he was out of sight.

Edward searched the garden, but his enemy was long gone. All he could do was reluctantly return to the others. Alphonse was curled on the ground, sobbing, surrounded by the rest of the group. When Edward stopped a few paces away, he turned tear-filled eyes and a look of utter betrayal on him. Edward tried to speak, but no words could get past the lump of fear and fury in his throat. The brothers stared each other down, and it was Edward who looked away first. He wanted to retreat to the solitude of his room, but no matter what, he could not leave his brother's side while Envy was still at large.

Finally, with Winry and Noah holding him comfortingly, and Sora and Riku standing over him protectively, Alphonse choked down his sobs and turned on his brother. "How could you, Edward! Lucifer never did anything to you!"

"He was Envy! He broke my arm and threatened to kill you!" Ed argued fiercely.

"You're wrong! How could he be Envy? He _saved_ you from Envy, and me from the Heartless!"

"Then how do you explain what I saw! Because I really don't think it was a Heartless!"

"It was a nightmare, or a dillusion! You're still sick from your concussion."

Edward stomped his foot in frustration. "Why won't you listen to me? I wouldn't have done that if your life wasn't in danger!"

"No, Edward! My cat was not Envy!" Al's voice started to break as a fresh flow of tears began. "And now he's run away and it's all your fualt!" Saying that, he stood up and backed away from the others, who had backed off themselves when the shouting match started. Tears still stinging his eyes, Alphonse turned around and ran. Edward tried to follow, but Winry stopped him.

"No, Ed. If you chase him, he'll just keep running."

"But I can't let him go off alone!" he cried desperately. "Envy's out there!"

"I'll follow him," volunteered Sora, already running after Al. "Don't worry, I won't let anything hurt him," he called over his shoulder before going out of sight beyond the gate that enclosed the resort's outdoor section.

Edward took two automatic steps as if still trying to follow, then sagged in defeat and allowed Winry to lead him back towards the door. The other two made themselves inconspicuously scarce.

"You shouldn't fight with him like that," Winry scolded quietly when they were completely alone. "I know how much you two love each other. You should try to talk things over rather than screaming at each other..."

"It's _because _I love him that I'm fighting with him!" Edward corrected her, his voice nearly breaking. Each fight he had with his brother, though few and far between, was hard on both of them. "He's in danger, but he won't believe me when I tell him so... What am I supposed to do?" All the fire had drained out of him. Now he just looked scared and distraught.

"Well, let's think about this rationally," said Winry, trying her best to help. "Why does Envy supposedly want to kill Alphonse. and why would he go to so much trouble to trick him?"

"He's always wanted to kill us. He already killed our father... I don't know why he hates us so much..." Edward's voice was small and sad almost despairing, and it tore at Winry's heart to see him so tormented. She really did love him, as a brother, friend, and more. She realized that now.

Then something else occurred to her. "Edward...? Envy was created when your father, Hohenheim, tried to bring his first son back to life, right?"

"Yes..."

"So, in a way, Envy's your older brother, right?"

"No, he's just a humunculus created from my older brother."

"But one of the other humunculi, Lust, remembered her human life," Winry pointed out. "What if Envy is the same?"

"Then why would he want to kill me?" Ed questioned dully.

"I don't know. Maybe he's jealous."

"Why would Envy be jealous?"

She gave him a flat look. "Edward, think before you say something like that." Her next words sounded reluctant, maybe even shy. "I know _I'm_ jealous of the relationship you and Al have. I wish... that you cared about me as much as you care about him."

Startled, Edward's eyes met hers, blue on gold. "But Winry..." he said. "I _do_." Timidly, he touched her cheek with his right hand, wishing his cold metal fingers could feel the softness of her skin. "I love you, Winry." He watched the young woman's eyes glisten with emotion. She wanted to speak, but he was not finished. "I always have even when you hit me with your wrench or called me short, or when we were separated. When Al was with me, I focused on him, but before that, when I was alone, I thought about you just as much. Noah was only ever a friend, so don't fight with her, please..."

Winry looked into his eyes for a moment longer to find the honest conviction of his words there, then threw her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. He gingerly returned the embrace,r and the pair just held each other for a long moment, reveling in the solace and relief their closeness brought.

Eventually, though, Edward had to break the embrace. "I still have to worry about Envy. Whether you or anyone else believes what i saw, I can't risk even the possibility that Alphonse is in danger."

"I know," Winry said understandingly, "but there's nothing you can do. Even if Lucifer _is _Envy, we have no idea where he went, so we can't do anything except keep our guards up until he comes back. I still wish you could work things out with Al, but it's your fight and I can't really interfere. If there's anything I _can_ do, though, please tell me, Edward."

He did not try to force a smile, but he nodded resolutely. "Thank you."

-

Alphonse did not return until sunset, and Edward fretted about him the whole time, but Sora reported that nothing unusual had happened except that they had had a fairly productive conversation. Still, as soon as Ed knew that Al was unharmed, a silence fell between the brothers, and remained for the rest of the night, not matter what their friend said or did.

The next morning, that stubborn silence still lingered. This was a new kind of fight. Instead of shouting or hitting, the brothers simply refused to acknowledge each other. Winry hoped that they were just waiting until things cooled down and they could discuss their problems without growing too angry.

It seemed to take longer than it should for the short hand of the clock to reach ten, but it finally did, and the group - having checked out and paid for their stay at the hotspring resort - loaded onto the train and watched as the station faded into the distance. Neither Edward nor Alphonse said a word or even looked at each other. They just sat with Winry between them, sulking. They ate lunch on the train, and in the afternoon, they got off at the East City station and switched to the train that would travel overnight to bring them back to Rizenbool. It was a long, gloomy ride for the brothers, though their friends tried to draw them into various conversations. Still, the mood remained the same. They slept on the train, and were awakened when it stopped just before dawn.

Winry stretched her arms as she stepped out into the misty, predawn light, cheered by the beautiful sight of her beloved hometown. When the other had all filed out behind her, she turned around to face them. "Well, what do you all think of going back to my house for a good breakfast before we see Sora and Riku off? Do you mind?"

The otherworlders shook their heads, and Sora patted his stomach. "Breakfast sounds great. I'm not awake enough to worry about Doors yet, anyway."

Winry led the way home and carried through with her offer. While she was preparing the food - bacon, scrambled egg, toast, and orange juice - Edward quietly asked Noah if he could speak with her alone. He took her outside, where none of the others could hear what passed between them, but when they returned to join the rest at the kitchen table, Edward looked relieved and Noah looked resigned. When Winry passed Edward his share of the food, she searched his face questioningly. He just nodded and showed her the faintest there of a smile, and that was enough.

-

To the brothers' surprise, Sora led the group right back to the place where Ed, Al, and Noah had appeared after stepping through that first door. Sure enough the same door had appeared in a rock formation by the stream. Sora flashed a big smile back at the group, then opened the door... to see the same cave that both they and the brothers had come through before. "Wait, this is just the same Door we came through to get here. Why is it back _now_?" But before he could become too confused, Noah stepped forward. "It's here for me, so that I can return to my own world."

"What?" Edward exclaimed, stepping forward. "But you can't go back there, it's too dangerous! You'll be caught and put into one of those concentration camps we heard about!"

Noah smiled rather sadly at him. "Edward, I'm a gypsy. Hiding is our specialty, remember?" She walked back to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I don't belong here. I'm a stranger in this world. I thought that what I wanted was to escape to another world, but I was wrong. What I really wanted was to be with you, but you don't need me anymore, so I'm going home." Before he could argue, she gave him a brief smile and then stepped through the Door. It closed behind her.

After a silence, Riku crossed his arms. "Well, I guess that's good for her, but does this mean we still need to find another Door?"

Sora frowned at the Door in concentration. "Wait... something's changed..."Slowly, he reopened the Door, and the others stared. No longer did a shadowed cavern stretch beyond the portal. Instead, A spectacular view of a tropical island was laid out before them. The first rays of rising sun lit the horizon in an orange glow, coloring both water, sky, and even the sand, stone, and plant-life of the island. A trio of seagulls drifted on the wind, soaring and looping above the ocean with clumsy grace. Sora and Riku broke into big grins. "Our island! We can go home!" but before they could step through, a sound caught everyone's attention and made them turn back.

Lucifer burst out of the foliage at the clearing's edge, shooting straight for Alphonse. Al automatically held out his arms to catch the cat, but Edward intercepted him. Lucifer dodged to the side and, to the shock of all but Edward, shapeshifted into the humunculus, Envy. He smirked at their bewildered expressions, but before he could say anything, Edward challenged him.

"It's about time you showed yourself! Have you come to kill us as promised?"

Envy laughed. "My, aren't you the image of a fairy-tale hero? Is fighting me what you really want?"

"If that's what it takes to stop you." He transmuted his auto-mail into an armblade and took up a battle stance. To his surprise, Alphonse stepped up beside him, using alchemy to create a spear from the earth. Behind them, Sora and Riku hefted their keyblades, and Winry brandished a wrench. Why she had brought it along, no one knew...

Envy sighed. "Now this isn't very fair." He rushed Ed, who tried to block, but instead of striking, Envy caught him by the arm and dragged him sideways forcefully, sending both of them falling... directly into the Door.

"Brother!" With a shout of surprise, Alphonse ran after them, but a wall of solid light shot up, blocking the opening. It burned Al's hands when he pounded on it, and he stumbled back in shock.

-

Violently, Edward broke free of Envy's grasp and backed up, only to realize that he had not gone through to the other side of the Door. He and Envy were standing in a void of golden light. Their immediate surroundings were clear, but a darker, shadowy haze seemed to roil at the edge of his vision. As his eyes focused, the ever-changing haze separated into distinct shapes. With horror, he recognized the clawing black hands that had torn off his limbs and dragged them and Alphonse's body into the Gate.

"Don't worry, they're being held back," Envy said calmly from behind him, making Ed jump. "You were right when you hypothesized that the Doors were tamer versions of the Gate." Now Envy caught Edward by the collar of his shirt and dragged him closer to the black mass of monstrous hands. Terrified beyond words, Edward struggled, but Envy's grip was firm.

"I want to make a trade!" the humunculus announced in a steady, brave voice that was quite out of character for him.

Edward tensed, fearing the worst. What was it the humunculi had always been after? At least part of the reason that they had sought the Philosopher's Stone in hopes of using it to grant themselves real, living bodies rather than the man-made abominations that they existed in now. Did Envy think he could trade Edward for a real, human body?

Envy's next words were the very last thing he expected.

"Myself for the restoration of his body!"

A huge, purple eye opened in the darkness and regarded Envy in a dispassionate yet fearsome gaze. Courageously, the humunculus stepped forward and allowed those terrible hands to catch him and draw him in.

Breaking out of his shock, Edward staggered forward and grabbed Envy's hand to keep him from the Gate a moment longer. "Wait, why are you doing this!"

Envy shapeshifted, his long, green-black hair lightening to blond and his face changing to that of Hohenheim's firstborn son. To the complete bewilderment of the Full Metal Alchemist, he smiled. "Because you're my little brother." And then he was pulled away from Edward to be devoured by the darkness.

The remaining members of the group were at a complete loss. Alphonse was on his knees in hysterics, with Winry attempting unsuccessfully to calm him. Sora and Riku stood by, nervously trying to figure out what had happened. Finally, a bright flash of light drew all of their attention back to the Door.

As the light faded, the blessedly familiar figure of Edward Elric could be seen. He staggered forward and fell just in front of Al, but caught himself with both hands. The sling and cast were gone, his left arm completely healed. As soon as Ed had regained his balance, Alphonse fell into his arms, sobbing. "Edward! Brother! I thought... I thought you were gone! And I said such mean things to you, and you were right all along, and I'm so sorry, Brother!"

Ed patted him gently on the back, soothing him. "Shh, it's all right, Al. I'm fine." He smiled. "I'm completely fine." As Al's tears subsided, Edward stood, pulling his brother up with him. Winry took her turn to hug him just as tightly as Al had. "I'm so glad you're safe..."

To the surprise of everyone including himself, Edward pulled back just enough to let his lips meet hers in a soft kiss. Her eyes snapped wide, then closed in pleasure, until - all too soon, in her opinion - he broke the kiss and gently pushed her back. "Winry, Alphonse... look." Slowly, he slipped off his right glove and held up a real, flesh and blood hand. Light as a feather, his fingertips brushed his brother's cheek, then stroked his love's pale gold hair. With joyful laughter, Al and Winry both embraced him, and they were like children again, with everything right in their world.

When the enthusiasm had abated somewhat, Riku smiled at his partner. "Well, Sora, let's complete this happy ending by going home, shall we?"

The keyblade master laughed and nodded agreeably. "Right. Kairi's waiting for us."

Amidst many farewells and good wishes, the two stepped through the Door, and back into their own world.

The End


End file.
